A bittersweet tale
by FallenKunoichi
Summary: "You wanna know what I learned? Don't shake your heads at me! I know you want to know- you're practically bursting in anticipation! Well on the inside you are... I've learned that you don't know how strong you are until being strong is your only option." Zero and Saya blinked, "I believe that is the most intelligent thing you've ever said, Kasumi." "Thanks I try... Hey!"
1. Chapter 1: An Unexpected friendship

**A/N: Hello! So this is the revision to A Bittersweet tale! The beginning and... Well everything is very different from the previous story and I have added a lot more things. Also, I have changed a few things about the characters which you'll easily see in this chapter! This starts out when they're young and barely in the ninja academy.**

**For all those who forgot or are new to the story, this will mostly be a GaaraxOc with lots of ItachixOc and NejixOc along with HinataxNaruto and a little InoxOc. I have been creating this story with my friends SunsetKitsune (previously Tentendarkmoon) and Soultaker5ds! SunsetKitsune's character is Saya, Soultaker5ds character is Zero while mine is Kasumi.**

**If you haven't read the original and unfinished _A bittersweet tale _then it doesn't really matter... Its very different from the original one and you won't be missing much. I'll be taking it down in a few weeks...**

**If you want to read this story from Saya's point of you then you should go to SunsetKitsune's story and check it out :D**

**Now I've wasted enough of your time, enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>"Why... You know... Don't do this..."<em>

_"I... True art... I have..."_

_Perking up slightly, a young girl of only five lifted her head as she heard two voices arguing loudly. She tried to listen but her ears could barely make out fragments of what the voices were saying. Quietly, she slid out of bed, one of her hands holding on tightly to a large bright pink teddy pair while her other hand fidgeted with her dress. As she opened her door, she saw light coming out from under one of the doors on the other side of the hallway, the voices coming from that direction. She slowly made her way to the door, doing her best to make noise and avoid the wooden plates that would creak loudly when stepped on._

_The closer she got to the door, the louder and clearer the voices began. One belonged to her mother while the other was undoubtedly her uncle, his rich deep voice easily recognizable. Pressing her ear against the door (she noted that it was the door that went to her uncle's room), she listened to the conversation that they were having._

_"Please, Onii-san! Rethink this ridicules plan," her mother pleaded. "Do you realize what you are giving up? If you do this, there is no way you will be able to see me or grandma or your niece!"_

_"I'm aware of that Imouto," her uncle sighed, the emotion draining out of his voice. "But it doesn't matter, I must do this... I have been waiting to do this for years and I can't back away now... I'll have true art right at my fingertips!"_

_"But what about us? Aren't you going to miss us?"_

_"I won't but only because I won't be able to," her uncle paused, as if thinking over his words. "I don't expect you to understand- I don't expect anyone to but I must do this... There's no going back now!"_

_"What about little wing? Are you just going to stop her training and leave her without a word? You know as well as I do that she's bound to ask questions about you!"_

_"I already have a solution for that..." There was a quiet rustle, causing her to try to peer through the crack in the door to see what was happening. But they were to far off to the side for her to see what they were doing._

_"A memory altering jutsu? You want to change her memory so she doesn't remember you at all?" Their was surprise in her mother's voice, disbelief pouring out of her. "If you go through with this, Onii-san, she won't remember a thing about you!"_

_"Good... She mustn't remember me, my existence will only bring her sorrow when she grows up and learns who I truly am. Even so, I can't leave without leaving her something to keep me close to her..." This time she heard the sound of something sliding against wood before something heavy landed on the ground, making her mother gasp. "I made this for her... The last creation I'll ever make in this body... Give this to her on her twelfth birthday, so she is the same age as I was when I made my first one in this body. For now, let her use the old one that she usually uses at training. You're her sensei now..."_

_"...Are you sure you want me to continue her training?"_

_"Yes."_

_"I will do my best..."_

_Blinking slowly, she pulled away when she heard footsteps coming toward the door. Her eyes widened and she made a dash for her room but stopped once she saw that the door was already opening and her uncle stepped out. His russet brown eyes imminently found hers, his lips twitching up in a smirk as he began to walk over to her. She winced, thinking that he was going to scold her like he usually did when she was eavesdropping but he simply put his hand on her head, lightly ruffling her hair._

_"Why are you up, little wing?" He asked, his smirk still evident on his face._

_"I... I um... I heard you and mama talking and I got curious," she said sheepishly, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "Sorry Oji-chan..."_

_"You know I love you, right?" Her uncle asked, startling her._

_"Of course and I love you too!"_

_"I truly wish I could let you remember me but I can't," he slowly leaned down to her height, sending her a tried and almost sorrowful smile. "You're going to grow up and become so strong! Strong enough to be Hokage and I know you'll make me very proud. Listen, little wing, no matter what happens in life, always remember that you are loved."_

_"Oji-chan? What's going on?" There was worry in her voice, not understanding what her uncle was going on about. All she knew was that it worried her and gave her an uncomfortable feeling in her belly._

_Leaning down, her uncle pressed his lips to her forehead, murmuring, "may you be smiled upon..."(1)_

_She suddenly felt tired and she stumbled a bit, falling into her uncle's arms as her eyes slid shut and darkness surrounded her._

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><p>The sun slowly rose over the horizon, lighting the early morning with its bright and joyful rays. Creatures of the night scurried back to their dens to sleep and wait for the garish sun to disappear back over the mountains. Early birds awoke from their dens and began their day, chirping to one another as they got ready to search for food. Children grumbled as the sun got into their eyes, swinging their legs over their bed as they reluctantly got ready to do their chores and attend school. Russet brown eyes slowly opened and looked around as the sun's light peeked through her window, brightening her dark room.<p>

Kasumi yawned as she sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she stumbled over to her window, squinting as she peered out. Faintly, she could see people walking down below, hurrying off to their destination, a few greeting each other politely. Yawning softly, she stepped back from her window and closed her curtain, nodding in approval as her room sunlight was banished and left her in the peaceful darkness. She stumbled her way back to her bed and crawled under her thick blanket, hugging her bright pink teddy bear close to her chest. Her eyes weren't closed for longer than a minuet when she heard her door open and her parents speak to her.

"Kasumi, it's time to get up," her mother, Natsumi, said brightly as she and her husband walked into their daughter's room. Natsumi was a short and lithe kunoichi with dark red hair that went to her waist and her eyes were russet brown, freckles lightly dusted her cheeks. Kasumi grumbled something under her breath before pulling her blanket over her head and shutting out the light that had managed to her into her room from the open door. "You don't want to miss morning practice, now do you?"

"Later," Kasumi grumbled, curling into a ball with her bear held closely.

"Ah I guess you don't want that lesson then," her father, Arashi, said sadly, shaking his head as he laced his words with disappointment. Arashi was tall and muscular shinobi with teal-colored hair and bright silver eyes that shinned with mirth. "I was going to show you that move that you were wanting to learn for months, you know, the one where you use lightning with katana." Kasumi perked her head slightly at the mention of the move, debating on whether or not to get up. "But if you would rather sleep then learn the move, then be my guest!"

"And I guess you don't want me to show you how to make the shurikens come out of Jun's arms," Natsumi sighed dramatically, also making her way out the door with her husband. "And here I was really looking forward to it..." Kasumi heard her parents begin to walk away and she jumped up, pushing her blanket away.

"I'm up!" Kasumi exclaimed, stopping parents from moving any further. Natsumi chuckled softly at her before kissing her forehead and handing her a change of clothes, telling her to be down for breakfast in ten minuets. Kasumi yawned once more before trudging off to her bathroom, washing her face and neck. She slid her nightgown off and dressed in her training clothes that consisted of a long dark blue shirt and black pants, sliding on her sandals before brushing her hair.

After she finished, she walked back into her room and made her bed, grabbing her katana off its rack. Her katana was large for her height, reaching just under her nose if it was placed on the ground. Walking back to her bed, she grabbed her bear and held it close as she walked down to the kitchen as she dragged her katana after her. Humming softly, she walked through the large and empty hall and carefully walked down the stairs, not wanting to fall down them like she once did. As she got to the kitchen, she leaned her katana against a chair and placed her bear in one of the chairs before sitting down on one herself.

"You ready to train now?" Arashi asked, looking at his daughter with amusement in his silver eyes.

"Yeah! But after breakfast," Kasumi giggled, watching as her mother finished cooking whatever she had on the stove. "Because we can't train with out breakfast after all!"

"Indeed we cannot," Arashi agreed, reaching down to ruffle Kasumi's hair before he took his own seat. Natsumi gave them their breakfast a moment later and sad down herself to eat. Kasumi ate quickly, wanting to out to the training grounds as quickly as she could since she didn't want to waste too much time eating when she could be learning a new trick.

"Okay! I'm ready now," Kasumi said excitedly as she placed her chopsticks down and scooted out of her chair, grabbing her katana and looking at her father with pleading eyes. Arashi chuckled softly before he drank the rest of his coffee and went to lead his daughter out, only to stop when Kasumi asked,

"Can Beary come to?" Kasumi pointed to her pink bear, her eyes shinning when her father nodded his head with a smile. She quickly grabbed her beloved bear before following her father out of the house and to the training area at the back of her house. Setting her bear down on the outside table, she slid her katana out of its case and set it beside her bear before walking over to her father who had taken out a blunt katana.

"Let's do a few warm ups before we try the move, okay?" Arashi asked and Kasumi nodded, her eyes turning serious as she crouched down and got ready to attack. Waiting for a few moments, she tightened her grip on the hilt of her katana before charging towards her father, swinging it towards his head. He easily blocked it and let his daughter, continuously attack him while he blocked, watching in approval as her swings slowly got faster and more precise. Arashi grunted when the tip of her katana got close to his face and he jumped back a little, grinning at Kasumi. "Alright, that's enough of that! Let me show you the move..."

Kasumi grinned before hurrying over to him, listening to him intently as he explained the move to her. "Since you are able to manipulate the element lightning, you should be able to send little bolts across the blade when it hits another. Your katana is made with lightning in it so you are going to be able to use the lightning from that to help you send the bolts scattering. Now I want you to focus on your chakra..."

Kasumi and her father trained for a few more hours, Kasumi not managing to do the move but she got close numerous times. She wasn't put down by her failure, it wasn't like she or her father thought she would get the move down in one day. Her father went back inside once he finished training her and was replaced by Natsumi who was carrying two clothed items in her arms. Settling them down gently, she pushed one of them so it was in front of Kasumi while placing the other one by her. Slowly unwrapping the item, Kasumi pulled out her large puppet and placed it in front of her.

The puppet was built as a male and it was large in height, towering over Kasumi when it stood up. Its face was smooth and was a dark reddish brown, the color of the mahogany tree that it was built out of. A long mass of dark blue hair sat on the top of its head and went to his waist with large black wolf ears resting on top of it. Its eyes were large and resembled a wolf with the black surrounding it and the bright yellow iris. Two long and curling teeth jutted out of its mouth and curved down to just below its jaw, small tiny and sharp teeth occupying it. Its hands and feet had small yet sharp metal claws sticking out of it and a long pointed tail poked out from behind. It was a simple tattered dark blue shirt that ended just below the knees.

"Hello Jun," Kasumi greeted cheerfully as she made chakra strings come out from her fingers and tighten around Jun, gently lifting it off the ground. She made it nod to her before it turned to look at Natsumi who was making her spider-like puppet stand up. Natsumi sent her daughter a little smirk as her puppet got into a defensive crouch, getting out a kunai before charging toward Jun. Kasumi merely smiled before sending her puppet toward her mother with his claws extended.

Once they had finished training, they had went back inside and after washing up, her mother began to teach her lesson to her. It was mostly about how everyone's chakra system worked and about Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjustu. Halfway through the lesson, Kasumi got bored and only faintly listened to her mother talk.

As much as she liked being homeschooled, she longed to go to the ninja academy like any other kid that wanted to become a ninja. Even though she would be ahead of the rest of the students, she would at least be around her friends and making new ones. But when she asked her parents about joining the academy, they would simply say when she got older since she would be stronger if they taught her. Sighing softly, Kasumi leaned her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands, looking at her mother with boredom. Just as she was about to space her mother out, she felt a pull in her mind and soon a voice began to speak.

_"I see your mother has managed to bore you,"_ the voice laughed softly. Kasumi turned her gaze to the right and saw her dragon sitting on the counter, her paws tucked under her belly. Her dragon, Ren, was a small dragon the size of a cat and had scales that were a combination of blue, dark purple, and red, her eyes a pretty lilac color. She had long, feathery wings on her back and two small horns on her head and a spike on her tail. _"My poor, little Kasumi!"_

_'Mama always manages to bore me,'_ Kasumi thought back, turning to look at her mother. Natsumi was oblivious to Kasumi's and Ren's conversation, not even knowing that her daughter wasn't paying attention to her._ 'At least the lesson is going to be over soon...'_

And indeed it was, her mother finishing that days lesson within the hour. Kasumi yawned as her mother finished, tiredly rubbing her eyes as she slid out of her seat and began to secure the case of her katana on her back. Like usual, her mother had taken her puppet and placed it in the workshop so it would be fixed later. Turning to her mother, Kasumi asked the question that she had been dying to ask since the lesson began.

"Mama, when am I going to be able to join the ninja academy?"

Natsumi stiffened at the question, tightening her grip on the papers in her arm. Staring blankly at the wall for a moment, she let out a soft sigh and placed the papers into a folder and then into a crate. "Soon, little wing, just after your papa finishes... Training you..."

"Okay," Kasumi sighed, she had gotten the same answer last time. "I'm gonna go to the village, okay?"

"Take your lunch with you," Natsumi said, ruffling her daughter's hair before heading to her office. Kasumi grabbed her bag off the table and placed her dragon shaped bento box inside of it before placing it on her back, next to her katana.

"Let's go Ren," Kasumi said before she walked out of her house, running across her courtyard and into the streets of Konoha. It was midday, when most of the children in school would be heading off to lunch. Humming softly, Kasumi hurried off in the direction of the Ninja Academy, planning on finding one of her friends and spend their lunch break with them. Since she didn't go to the ninja academy, she only saw her friends during their lunch breaks and sometimes after school ends but she was usually busy with training by then.

"Zero! Hinata!" Kasumi called out as she saw her friends sitting under a cherry blossom tree, setting their lunches down beside them. Both perked up when they heard their name called and they sent small and shy smiles her way. Kasumi sat by them as she got there, shrugging off her pack and katana, placing it beside her. Ren sat beside her, curling her tail over her ways as she looked at the two kunoichi-in-training with warmth. "How was class?"

"It was okay," Zero murmured, opening her own cat shaped bento box and beginning to eat the cut up fruit her parents had made her. Zero was a six-year old (the same age as Kasumi and Hinata) with dark skin and jet-black hair that was spiky and went to her chin, her bangs longer then the rest of her hair and rested at her shoulders. She had warm chocolate-brown eyes that held kindness. Like usual, she wore a soft tan sweater that went to her waist with white pants under it and tan saddles on her feet. "Iruka-sensei was a little boring but that's normal..."

"At least h-he's getting b-better," Hinata murmured, reaching over to pet Ren on her head before grabbing her own lunch and beginning to eat. Hinata was a shy girl with pale skin and dark purple hair that went to her chin, her eyes a lovely shade of lavender. She wore a simple lavender kimono with a white sash and lavender sandals. "How was y-your lesson?"

"Boring," Kasumi sighed, munching on the piece dango that her mother had packed her. "Mama was talking about our chakra systems but I got lost after a few moments... But my training with my papa went good! He's teaching me to use lightning with Jagged Lightning," Kasumi nodded to her katana. "And my puppet training went ok... Although I kind of lost control of Jun halfway through..." For a while, the girls chatted quietly about different things, giggling as they shared their stories. Kasumi was halfway through telling a story when she noticed a kid on the swing, all alone and looking sad. He had spiky yellow hair and wore clothes that were a size to big on him, his eyes downcast and watching his shadow as he swung.

But there was one thing that Kasumi found strange about him: his scent. It was strange, a combination of almonds and milk but there was another scent hidden under the others. It was the scent of burning wood and a strange spice, it was barely noticable to Kasumi's nose. But she didn't stop to ponder it, knowing that another person in the village had two scents, as well as her aunt. She didn't see a lunch with him and from the way his belly growled, she could tell that he hadn't eaten at all. Frowning, she glanced at her half empty bento box, and then to him.

"Who's the boy over there?" Kasumi asked Zero, nodding over to the boy she had been looking at. Zero, following her gaze, frowned slightly while Hinata took one look at him and blushed softly.

"That's Naruto," Zero said, swallowing a thing of rice. "He's in my class... I haven't really spoken to him though but I know he doesn't have many friends."

"He looks lonely," Kasumi murmured, her frown deepening when her sharp ears heard his belly rumble again. "And hungry," glancing down at her food, she found that she wasn't hungry anymore. She stood up and brushed off her shorts, noticing the confused look Zero and Hinata sent her. "I'm going to go say hi..."

Ren stood from her spot and jumped on Kasumi shoulders as she walked over to the boy. Naruto looked up as he was Kasumi approach him and he gaped before a flicker of hope flashed in his eyes, watching as she got closer.

"Hiya!" Kasumi greeted, sending the yellow-haired a friendly smile. "I saw you alone so I thought I should join you! I'm Akiyama Kasumi," she nodded hot her dragon, "and this is Ren!"

"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto," he beamed, opening his mouth to say something else when he belly rumbled loudly. His mouth snapped shut in embarrassment and a soft pink painted his cheeks. Kasumi simply giggled before handing him her bento box, almost laughing when his eyes turned disbelieving. "A... Are you giving this to me?"

"Yeah," Kasumi nodded her head with a smile, placing the box in his hands. "I already ate my fill and since you look hungry, you can finish mine for me!"

"Thanks," Naruto smiled before he began to eat, hardly looking up from the box as he did so. Kasumi sat down on the ground, stretching out her legs as she looked up at the sky. They talked quietly for a little while, learning little and silly things about each other.

"Why were you alone?" Kasumi asked, glancing at the boy out of the corner of her eye. "Shouldn't you be playing with the other academy students?"

Naruto stilled, clutching the bento box tightly as he frowned, his eyes filled with sadness. Kasumi imminently winced and told herself that she needed to be more careful with her words, not liking that she hurt the boy. She opened her mouth to tell him sorry when he replied, "they don't like me... No one likes me... Not the villagers or the others or-"

"I like you," Kasumi interrupted him. "You seem nice enough! And I bet your parents like you!"

"I don't have any parents…" Kasumi winced again and cursed herself for upsetting her new friend even more.

"I'm sorry," Kasumi apologized, bowing her head. "I bet your parents loved you. And you shouldn't worry about the villagers liking you- they don't like me either! They call me and my family monsters..."

"Monsters?" Naruto asked curiously, all sadness replaced with confusion. "Why?"

"I don't really know," Kasumi frowned. "But my papa said it had to do with something with our dragons."

"But they look so cool," Naruto protested, reaching out to pet Ren. Ren purred, enjoying the attention that she was getting. "And they feel cool too!"

"People are weird," Kasumi shrugged. "Why don't the villagers like you?"

"Beats me," Naruto sighed. "They just always give me these... Mean looks... And the other students do the same thing, except their eyes are filled with annoyance instead of hate."

Kasumi went to reply when she heard someone shout for all the kids to come back to class since lunch was over. She stood up and dusted off her shorts, grabbing her now empty box from Naruto as he jumped off the swing.

"Aren't you going to class?" Naruto asked as he saw that Kasumi was heading toward the cherry blossom tree.

"Oh I don't go to the academy! My mama and papa home school me," Kasumi explained, hesitating for a moment before asking, "do you want to come over to my house for dinner? My parents wouldn't mind!"

"You want me to?" Naruto asked with disbelief, his eyes wide.

"Well of corse! I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to," Kasumi giggled. "Meet me under the cherry blossom tree after school and I'll take you to my house."

"Okay!" Naruto nodded his had excitedly before he rushed off to class. Kasumi smiled before she reached the tree, putting her box into her bag before sliding both the bag and her katana over her shoulders. She walked slowly back to her home, Ren walking beside her and occasionally she took off into the air and flew along the breeze. Like usual, the villagers glared or sneered at her, sending her looks of disdain that had her flinching away from them and hurrying home. She felt unsafe when she was alone in the village, like someone was waiting for the right moment to attack her. As soon as she got home, she went off to find her mother and father, finding them in the family room after a few minuets.

"...I don't think she's ready yet," Natsumi murmured, shaking her head slightly. Kasumi paused, knowing that she should make her presence known but she found that she wanted to hear what they were saying so she kept quiet. "What if the spirit doesn't like her? What if he attacks her?"

"Natsumi, he wouldn't have chosen her if he didn't like her," Arashi sighed. "It doesn't matter if she's ready or not, she needs to know just what is living inside her."

"Can't we wait just one more year?"

"You know it can't, Natsumi! We can't just keep postponing it for another year, promising that we'll do it he next when we know fully well that we'll just come up with another excuse to not do it. We have to- and will- do it before her seventh birthday."

_'Are they talking about me?' _Kasumi questioned herself. She was turning seven that year- in four months, to be exact.

"Then give it two months, please Arashi, let her live unaware for two more months," Natsumi pleaded, her russet brown eyes peering into her husband's silver. It was silent for a few moments before Arashi nodded his head, agreeing to his wife's request.

"Two months than," Arashi nodded. "But once those two months are over, Mako will be coming and we will be telling Kasumi everything!"

Kasumi's eyes widened, her suspicions confirmed. She wondered what her parents were keeping from her and her lit with curiosity. Turning to Ren, she saw her dragon was as confused as her, sending her a shrug. The crimson-eyed girl went over what her parents had said in her head before she realized what her father had said._ 'Aunty Mako is coming,'_ Kasumi thought joyfully._ 'I can't wait! I've missed her!'_

"Hi mama! Hi papa!" Kasumi said cheerfully as she walked into the family room, already deciding to act like she heard nothing.

"Hello Kasumi, how was lunch?" Natsumi asked, sharing a look with Arashi. "Did you eat with your friends?"

"Yeah, I ate with Hinata and Zero," Kasumi nodded her head as she sat on a couch. "I made a new friend today!"

"Oh you did? What's her name?" Arashi asked.

"Well he's a boy," Kasumi giggled, missing how her father narrowed his eyes. "And his name is Naruto! He was all alone at lunch so I decided to sit and eat with him. We talked for a while and he's fine, kind of goofy, but nice. Did you know the village doesn't like him either?"

"Oh... We had no idea," Natsumi said nervously, sharing another look with her husband.

"I invited him to dinner... Is that okay?" Kasumi asked, worry in her eyes. She feared that her parents might say no and that she would have to go back to Naruto and say that he couldn't come.

"That's fine, little wing," Arashi said after a moment, ruffling his daughter's hair. "The more the merrier, right?"

"Right!" Kasumi said excitedly. As the day continued, Kasumi helped her mother begin dinner by cutting up different meats and peeling potatoes. She helped clean up the kitchen and she set the table, setting up an extra place just in case. After she finished, she wiped her hands before getting ready to meet Naruto up at the cherry blossom tree. Ren was resting on the couch so she didn't bother to wake her as she slid her katana on her back and made her way to her destination. She arrived a little early and decided to wait up in the tree, climbing up so she rested on a tall branch in the cherry blossom. Kasumi winced as she heard the case of her katana scrape against the tree bark, knowing her mother wouldn't be pleased when she saw it.

A few more minuets passed before she saw all the children come pouring out of the school, some running to their awaiting parents. Kasumi waved at Zero as she passed, the other girl walking towards her with confusion written on her face.

"What are you doing here, Kasumi?" Zero asked, her head tilted in curiosity. "I thought you were usually training with your father at this time of day..."

"Usually I am but I invited Naruto to dinner and my parents agreed," Kasumi explained. "I promised that I would wait for him by this tree. Do you want to come over for dinner too? My mama and papa wouldn't mind!"

"Sure! Its leftovers day at my house and I don't really want to eat sushi again," Zero smiled. "Can we stop by my house before we go to yours though?"

"Yeah!" Kasumi nodded her head before jumping off the tree, landing beside Zero. She frowned slightly, looking at the large height difference that she and Zero had. Kasumi was short, even for her age, and the top of her head barely went to Zero's shoulders. As they waited for Naruto, the other students walked pass them, Kasumi knowing a few that passed. She knew Shikamaru (the laziest boy she knew), Sakura (a nice girl who happened to have a large forehead), Shino (a quiet boy who always had bugs), and, of course, Hinata.

"He's taking forever," Zero complained, groaning as she saw that most of the children were already gone. "He's in my class, I don't understand why we didn't get here at the same time…"

"Maybe he got in trouble," Kasumi suggested before perking up when she saw the yellow-haired boy finally run out of the building. "There he is!"

"Sorry about that! Iruka-sensei wanted to talk to me about something," Naruto said as he made it to the two awaiting girls, panting slightly. He glanced at Zero and looked at her with surprise. "Oh hi Zero!"

"Hello Naruto…"

"Zero's also going to be joining us for dinner, we're going to stop by her house before going to mine," Kasumi explained and Naruto nodded, not looking like he minded so she took it as a good sign. They chatted quietly as they walked to Zero's house, talking about nothing really in particular. Once they reached Zero's house, Kasumi and Naruto waited outside for her to tell her parents where she going. It was only a few minuet wait before the door to her house opened again and Zero stepped out, her parents waving goodbye to her.

"That's your house?" Naruto gaped as they got to the front of Kasumi's home. "It's huge!" Kasumi had to agree with him, her house truly was to big for her and her family but they always kept it. The house had three main floors, a basement, and an attic, along with a large backyard with a training area and a garden. They had a courtyard in the front with tiger lily bushes and a fountain in the middle, a large fence ran along their property. "Do you have a large family?"

"No, its only my father, my mother, and me," Kasumi said sadly, opening the gate to her property and letting Naruto and Zero enter. "Oh along with my dragon and my father's dragon, Duster! And sometimes my Aunt Mako and Great-Grandma Chiyo..."

"Why does your mother not have a dragon?" Naruto asked, noticing that Kasumi hadn't mentioned the name of her mother's dragon.

"She wasn't born into the clan so she never bonded with a dragon," Kasumi explained, trying to remember what her mother had told her. "She came from another village and she only joined our clan once she married my papa."

"Why does your family own such a large home?"

"Well at one time it used to home most of our clan," Kasumi continued to explain. "But the rest of my clan left the village sometime before I was born and left my parents and me with the house."

"It must get lonely in there," Zero murmured, noticing how most of the windows in the house were dark.

"Sometimes," Kasumi agreed before showing them into the house and heading to the kitchen. Ren perked from her spot on the couch as she saw her mistress pass and she quickly got up, flying to Kasumi's side and landing on her shoulder. Kasumi giggled before petting her dragon's head and entering the kitchen, waving at her mother and father. "Hi papa, hi mama! I brought friends! Zero's going to join us, if that's okay..."

"That is fine," Natsumi said kindly, glancing at the yellow-haired boy who almost seemed to be shying away from her and Arashi. She walked over to the three and crouched down near Naruto, sending him a smile. "Hello there! You must be Naruto, Kasumi has told us about you. I am Natsumi but you can call me Nat if you want… Now come, dinner is just about done."

Naruto smiled happily and nodded as Natsumi ushered them to the table and let them pick where they wanted to sit. Kasumi and Zero sat next to each other on one side while Arashi sat at the head and Naruto and Natsumi sat on the other side. Natsumi had made udon in a beef broth with cut up mochi and radishes, along with a side of rice balls coated in a spicy sauce. Kasumi and Zero were barely through half of their udon when they saw that both Naruto and Arashi were already getting seconds, Natsumi gaping at the two.

"Thank god I made enough to feed a dragon," Natsumi muttered, glancing at both Naruto and Arashi who looked equally sheepish. "So Naruto, Zero… Are you enjoying the ninja academy?"

"Its okay, a little boring," Naruto answered shrugging his shoulders as Zero nodded her head in agreement. "We're learning a bunch of boring stuff at the moment…"

"Well Kasumi will hopefully be joining you soon so you'll all be bored together," Arashi said cheerfully, laughing when he saw Kasumi perk her head and look at him excitedly.

"I am?" Kasumi asked, practically jumping in her seat.

"Yes, right after your seventh birthday," Arashi shared a look with Natsumi before smiling when he saw his daughter begin to talk excitedly to the other two children. All five of them continued to talk as they ate dinner and when they finished, they headed to the family to nibble on sweets as they turned on their television to watch a movie. When it was over, they got ready to walk Naruto and Zero home since it was already dark and not safe for them to walk home alone.

"Now you two are welcome to join us for dinner wherever your little hearts desire to," Natsumi told them as she said goodbye to Naruto and Zero. She was going to stay and clean up the plates while Arashi and Kasumi walked her friend's home. "And you're welcome to come over for lunch as well! We always make more then enough!"

"I will," Naruto said cheerfully before the little group began to walk to the gate. Arashi had managed to get in front of others, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he saw someone trying to hide in the shadows as the group made their way out of the property.

"I want you all to keep close to me," Arashi said, calling out his dragon's name. Kasumi shared confused looks with her two friends before watching as Duster landed in front of Arashi. The dragon was a little bigger then Ren with yellow and orange scales and large wings that were brightly feathered. Arashi spoke quietly to his dragon before they continued to make their way out of the property. Doing as he said, the three children kept close to Arashi and Duster, looking around suspiciously. They got to Zero's house first and they waited before she was safely in her home before walking to where Naruto lived.

Kasumi frowned when she saw where Naruto lived, knowing that it wasn't exactly a nice neighborhood. Sure it wasn't littered with crime or anything but the apartments weren't really made to last, or that's what she remembered her parents telling her.

"Well I'll see tomorrow," Kasumi said as they got to Naruto's apartment, sending him a little wave. He turned and sent her a smile before disappearing through the door. Arashi smiled as he looked at his daughter, picking her up and placing her on his shoulders as they made their way down the stairs and towards their home. As they walked, he looked around warily, not trusting how that person had hidden in the shadows, knowing that it had to be one of the villagers that hated their clan. Glancing up at his daughter, he grinned and asked,

"Would you like to go on a ride, little wing?"

"Yeah!" Kasumi slid excitedly and hurriedly slid down her father's back, watching as he crouched beside his dragon. Going into his shirt, he pulled out a dagger that was made out of pretty dark blue and purple crystal. Twirling it in his fingers for a moment, he glanced at the dragon before he sliced his palm open, dipping his fingers in the blood before writing a few runes arose Duster's' face. Once he finished, he stepped back and did a few seals before saying, "Dragon: Blood rune jutsu!"

Only a moment passed before Duster began to grow, now the height of two horses and the length of three. He leaned down so both Arashi and Kasumi could climb on his back before he took off into the sky.

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><p><strong>(1) I borrowed that from the game, Mad father... Or I think I did! I'm not sure if the creators of the game made it up or someone else...<strong>

_**Translations:**_

**_Onii-san:_ Elder/Big brother**

**_Imouto:_ Younger/little sister**

**_Oji-chan:_ Uncle**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the first revised chapter!**

**Till next time :3**


	2. Chapter 2: Understanding

**A/N: Hello! Well thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoy the chapter! For any previous readers, the middle of this chapter will be very familiar since the it's similar to chapter 29 of the original _A Bittersweet__ tale. _Enjoy!**

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><p>Kasumi sat on the grass in her garden, her father sitting beside her while her mother sat in front of her. Natsumi had placed her bleeding hand in Kasumi's lap so she could try to heal it like she had previously been doing to animals. Concentrating, the brown-eyed girl placed her right hand above her mother's hand and focussed on her chakra, doing her best to do exactly as Arashi had said to do. A few moments passed before shaky green chakra encircled Natsumi's hand and seeped into her skin before the skin closed. The brown-eyed girl pulled back with excitement in her eyes, turning to grin brightly at her father who chuckled at her.<p>

"I did it!" Kasumi said excitedly, grinning in victory. Pride was in her eyes as she grabbed her mother's hand and poked the fixed wound, happy that she got it right on her first try. She found that healing was easy for her, almost like she was meant to heal. "Did you see that papa? I didn't have to do it twice! I got it done so fast…"

"You did good, Kasumi," Arashi said proudly, leaning down to kiss his daughters forehead. "I'm proud of you…" Kasumi beamed in her spot, happiness shining in her eyes.

"I'm impressed," Natsumi grinned, pinching her newly healed skin. "Not only did you manage to heal it but you also took aware any of the pain that I felt. It takes medical ninjas a little while to do that but you got that early on. I shouldn't be surprised though- you _are_ an Akiyama after all and we are born to heal!"

"You can run off now," Arashi said as he helped both his daughter and wife to their feet. "Training and lessons are done for today since we have to get ready for Mako's arrival. Mako should get here soon so be sure to be back by the time the sun sets," he shared a worried look with Natsumi, "you're going to have a busy night, after all!"

"Okay papa! Is it okay if I get ramen with Naruto and Zero?" Kasumi asked. Natsumi nodded before reaching into her wallet and pulling out enough money for Kasumi to get at least two bowls of ramen and something extra. "Why don't you stop by the book store when your done? Get yourself a good manga as a reward for healing someone on your first try."

"Okay! Thanks mama!" Kasumi beamed before rushing off inside, ducking into the kitchen and grabbing her bag that held two bento boxes (one for her and one for Naruto) and her katana. She slid both on her back before picking Ren up and running out the door, hurrying over to the school. She knew she would get there a little early, probably when the older students were eating lunch. Kasumi didn't mind though, she had done it before and simply stayed out of the other children's way. As she got to the academy, she saw that her assumptions were indeed correct before she climbed up the cherry blossom tree, planning on waiting for the classes to switch. Ren jumped off Kasumi's back, taking the bag with her, and flew up the tree, placing the bag on one of the branches before sitting down. Yawning slightly, Kasumi leaned her head against the tree trunk and closed her eyes to take a nap while she waited for the others to come out.

Kasumi had only just begun to drift off when she head someone sigh loudly before dropping beside the tree, hitting their head none-to-gently on the thick bark of the tree. Slowly, she opened her tired eyes and rubbed them from the sleep that had gathered before she peered down, tilting her head as she saw a boy with black hair, bushy brows, and wide eyes staring back at her. Letting out a squeak of surprise, she jumped back only to slip off the tree and land on the ground harshly.

"Ow," Kasumi moaned as she cradled her head and shifted slightly to the case of her katana didn't dig into her back. She heard the boy scramble to his feet as he began to apologize but she simply ignored him for a moment as she collected herself. "That hurt…"

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," the boy apologized, his cheeks a bright red. Kasumi waved his apologizes aside as she let go of her head and sat up, rubbing her swore neck.

"Its fine, I know it wasn't your fault," she said gently, noticing that his face was twisted in shame. "I was just a tad bit surprised… I didn't really expect you to be staring back at me."

"Let me at least help you up," the boy said, holding out his hand. Kasumi grasped it firmly and let the boy pull her up, thanking the gods that her katana had stopped digging into her back as soon as she stood up. "I really am sorry!"

"I told you, it was fine," Kasumi sent him a kind smile, not noticing how the boy's cheeks lit up since she was busy dusting off her pants. "Where are my manners? My mama would be furious with me… I'm Akiyama Kasumi!"

"I am Rock Lee," the boy said cheerfully, shaking her hand with a little more force then necessary. Kasumi winced slightly but didn't let him know his shake was a little too hard, not wanting to accidentally hurt his feelings. "Are you new? I haven't seen you at lunch before!"

"I'm home schooled," Kasumi explained, "I usually come for the next lunch break so I can be with my friends…"

"Ah! So you're a year younger than me!"

"Probably, I'm only six! I turn seven in two months- that's when my parents are allowing me to join the academy." Kasumi and Lee talked for the rest of the lunch, getting to know each other. Although he was a little overenthusiastic in Kasumi's opinion, she found that she quiet enjoyed his company and was a little sad when his lunch was over. "It was nice talking to you Lee! Maybe we'll get to talk again!"

"I hope so Kasumi!" Lee said before dashing off to the academy. Kasumi watched for a moment before climbing up the tree again to retrieve her bag and Ren, climbing back off to see Zero and Naruto walking towards them. She smiled and waved, ever since the dinner they all had at her house, they had gotten closer and were together very often. They all enjoyed each others company and would talk and laugh, sometimes playing some silly game that one of them would come up with.

"You're actually on time today, Kas," Zero teased as they settled on the grass. Kasumi rolled her eyes before handing Naruto his bento box and beginning to eat hers. Zero was right about her tease though, Kasumi was rarely on time, usually a few minuets late but sometimes she would get there really late with only a few minuets left of lunch.

"My mama and papa let me go early," Kasumi shrugged, pausing for a moment to tell Naruto to slow down before continuing. "Today I managed to heal my mama's hand on the first try! They were pleased so they left me leave really early… I got here when the other kids were still at lunch."

"Are you ready for ramen after school?" Naruto asked, almost done with his lunch and already wanting more food. "I have enough money to get _three_ bowls of ramen!"

"Lucky! I only have enough for two," Kasumi pouted, Zero snorting as she ate her lunch.

"Like you could eat three! You would take two bites before giving the rest to Naruto," Zero snorted, laughing when Kasumi stuck her tongue out at her.

"That is so true," Kasumi sighed sadly. "If only I could eat as much as Naruto… Anyways, do you a manga that I should start reading? My mom gave me enough money to buy one…"

"Yu-gi-oh!" Zero said imminently, excitement in her chocolate eyes. "Buy the first volume- its amazing! You'll love it-"

"Isn't that the one all about friendship?" Naruto interrupted, finishing his bento box and accepting the half empty one that Kasumi handed him.

"It's not _all _about friendship," Zero protested but frowned for a moment when Naruto gave her a look. "Okay so it talks about friendship a lot but it's still good!"

They talked for a little while longer before their lunch ended and Zero and Naruto went back to class. Kasumi packed up the empty boxes before heading into the village with Ren sitting comfortably on her shoulders. She reached the bookstore in no time, ignoring the sneering villagers she passed, and headed into the tall building. The owner of bookstore waved as he saw her, welcoming her to the store. He was one of the few people who didn't despise her, welcoming her to the store every time she came.

Kasumi headed to the manga section of the bookstore and looked over the many different series that she could read. Her eyes passed multiple ones that looked interesting but she was leaning towards Yu-gi-oh since Zero seemed to love it a lot. She read the first few pages and found that it appealed to her before she headed to the clerk. Quickly, she paid him before going back to the academy and jumping back up the cheery blossom tree to read and wait for school to end.

Sometime while she was reading, she had managed to fall asleep and had nearly fallen out of the tree again when she heard a bunch of children shouting. The noise was enough to wake her up and she was surprised to see that school had just ended and everyone was rushing to get home. Kasumi yawned and jumped out of the tree, landing lightly on the ground and noticing that Ren had left, taking her bag with her.

"How was class?" Kasumi asked as she saw Naruto and Zero hurrying toward them.

"Boring! The usual," Zero shrugged before grinning when she saw the manga in Kasumi's hand. "Do you like it so far? Who's your favorite character? Favorite card?"

"Uh Zero… I only got to page thirty," Kasumi laughed nervously, the bright excitement in Zero's eyes unnerving her. "But I like it… Don't really have a favorite character yet."

"You will," Zero said with a grin before Naruto got impatient and hurried them up as they walked to Ichiraku ramen. Naruto was excited to see that it wasn't packed and he hurried to the stool, sitting down and already ordering by the time Kasumi and Zero sat down.

"I want miso! Then beef!" Naruto said with a grin.

"Miso please," Zero said softly while Kasumi said, "beef!"

They got their ramen pretty quickly and began to eat, talking between their bites. Kasumi was still shocked over how fast Naruto ate, already on his second bowl when she was only halfway through her first. Zero was in the same state as her, even she couldn't eat as much as Naruto and that was saying a lot, she absolutely loved food. How he didn't get cramps was beyond her understanding, knowing that she would get them if she ate as much and as fast as he did.

"You're going to choke one of these days," Kasumi muttered, glancing at her friend and seeing that he didn't even hear what she said. But a moment passed, and he choked, making Kasumi jump before both she and Zero hit his back. He stopped choking a moment later and looked at them sheepishly, Zero muttering, "this is why you don't tempt fate," under her breath.

* * *

><p>Kasumi yawned as she pushed open the gate to her home, arriving just as the sun began to set behind the mountains. Her new manga was held tightly in her hands as she approached the front door, stopping for a moment to admire the beautiful scent of the tiger lilies. She continued on her way and walked inside of the dimly lit home, imminently heading up to her room to wash up for dinner. Placing her katana on its rack, her placed her manga in her bookshelf before heading to her bathroom to wash her face and hands. Once she finished, she headed back down the stairs to search for her parents and dragon.<p>

"Aunty Mako!" Kasumi squeaked excitedly as she got to the family room and saw her aunt sitting on the couch with her parents and dragons. Mako was a tall young woman with long white and green streaked hair that went to waist. Her eyes were a bright shade of silver that stood out against the natural rim of black around her eyes. A few scars were scattered across her freckled face but didn't take away from the kind and friendly vibe that came off her. Kasumi launched herself in Mako's arms, hugging her tightly while borrowing her face in her side. She took in her relaxing scent of cinnamon and roses, barely taking in the other scent of a strange spice. "I missed you!"

"Hello there, little Kasumi," Mako said warmly, pulling back and ruffling her hair. "Look at you! Still as short as ever!"

"I'll grow!" Kasumi pouted. "I'm only six! By the time I'm ten, I'll be taller than you!"

"Sure you will," Mako laughed, letting Kasumi sit down beside her. Mako glanced at Natsumi and Arashi, raising a brow as she asked, "how much have you told her about the spirit?"

"Nothing," Arashi shook his head. "We... We didn't want to tell her until it was absolutely necessary..."

"Ryuu will be pleased," Mako muttered, sarcasm lacing her words as she shook her head in disappointment. Kasumi looked between them curiosity, confusion in her russet-brown eyes. _'What are they talking about?' _Kasumi silently questioned, glancing at Ren. She had a knowing look in her lilac eyes but refused to say anything to her mistress, it wasn't her place. "So you're telling me she has no idea what she hosts or just how we have our dragons? She should have been told long ago!"

"She's only a child! My daughter deserves to have some kind of a normal childhood before its taken away," Natsumi said defensively, her eyes narrowed. "Why must she learn of that spirit so early in her life?"

"You know as well as I do that it is better that she learn what just lives in her early in her life, rather than when she is old," Mako sighed. "It will be easier for her to... accept."

"What are you guys talking about Aunty Mako?" Kasumi asked, peering curiously at her Aunt. "Is it something important?"

"Very," Mako glanced at Arashi and Natsumi. "Would you like to me to start or would one of you like to?"

"I will," Arashi said, turning over to look at his daughter. "Settle down in your seat Kasumi, we're about to tell you a story and its a long one..."

"Can I go get Beary?" Kasumi asked. Arashi's lips twitched up in a smile before he nodded, watching as his daughter grinned before running to her room to get her bear before coming back and settling down on the couch again.

"Are you sure you're ready? The story is a long one..."

"I'm ready!"

"Well here it goes then," Arashi cleared his throat before beginning. "Long ago, when our clan first started off in Konoha, we were known as a weak clan. We were meant to heal- not fight like the other clans and we barely had any skills in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu. The only thing we could do was heal, a skill that the other clans liked to point out whenever they could. And, of course, we didn't have our dragons and we weren't called the dragon clan then. But we had a decent amount of respect since the other clans valued good healers and there was no reason for them to treat us badly. It wasn't until a few clan members wanted to become shinobi that things started to go bad. The few that tried to become shinobi did their absolute best with what they had but not one of them passed the Genin exam. That was when our clan began to lose respect, the other clans not understanding how we could be that bad."

"Our clan was that bad?" Kasumi questioned, wincing slightly.

"Yes, we couldn't even create a simple clone," Natsumi admitted before taking over the story telling. "Since our clan was very stubborn and determined, we continued try to become Genin, taking the test over and over and always training. Yet it never paid off, not a single one of them passed the exam. Our clan continued to get ridiculed and made of fun of, the other clans always sneering at us and rarely being friendly. But there was one boy that finally got tired of it and was determined to become a strong ninja- one our clan could be proud of. His name was Yuudai, and he was the first Akiyama to have a dragon. He knew about the pacts that some of the other clans had made with animals so he set out to sing something to make a pact with."

Natsumi looked at Mako and allowed for her to continue the story. "Yuudai traveled for many days and he came across nothing and no one- that was until he reached the mountains. At the time, he didn't realize that the mountains were filled with dragons or that he was treading in their territory. The dragons knew he was there of course, but they stayed hidden from him, not knowing what he wanted and wanting to see what he was doing. After traveling in the mountains for days and coming across nothing, he finally... I guess you could say that he broke down in a large cave and simply gave up on his quest. I'll admit, it wasn't one of his best moments but he screamed and cried, asking the gods why they didn't give him or our clan power."

Natsumi continued, "the dragons easily heard his cries and being the empathetic creatures they are, they understood and could feel his pain as if it was their own. They saw the good and the strength in the boy and they decided to help him, going to their leader to ask for someway to help Yuudai. Their leader was a dragon named Ryuu, he was a spirit- a king to the dragons! But he was slowly dying, he had lived for hundreds of years and his body could no longer keep him alive and breathing. The dragons went to their leader and told him about the Yuudai's predicament and they managed to convince him to meet the boy. So Ryuu went to the cave that Yuudai was in and watched as he continued to rant."

Mako winced, "I repeat, not one of his best moments. Anyway, Ryuu saw something in the boy, something that he admired and he knew what had to be done in order for the boy's wish to come true. Ryuu revealed himself to Yuudai and they made a pact, but it was different then the ones used by other clans. The pact stated that the dragons would each pick one member of the Akiyama clan to bond with and they would become a weapon- and a loyal friend- to the clan member. In addition, Ryuu's soul would separated into multiple parts and go into each clan members body and the member would host a small part of him. That way the clan would gain power and strength to do all types of jutsu while increasing their healing ability. And in return, the dragons would gain a home and Ryuu would live in each member of the clan and become almost immortal. He would never die and he would be able to watch over his people from within all of his hosts' bodies."

Kasumi was listening with wide eyes, a hint of awe and surprise in her brown-colored eyes. Mako paused and let Arashi continue, "Yuudai agreed to the pact and signed the pact in blood, not waiting to get the permission from the rest of the clan. As soon as the pact was signed, Ryuu's soul separated and his body slowly disappeared. His soul went into each member of the clan and made them stronger, the clan not knowing what happened. Yuudai need up with most of Ryuu's soul and in that moment, he became the strongest member of the clan. He bonded with a dragon, a fierce female dragon named Cloud, before he went back to Konoha to explain what happened, taking some of the dragons with him. When he arrived in Konoha, the clan greeted him warmly but with shock as they took in the dragons around him. He explained to them what happened and a few members were upset with him but most honestly didn't care- as long as they got stronger, they were happy."

Natsumi took over again, "most of the clan thought that they would gain respect now and quickly bonded with a dragon. Alas, instead of the clans of Konoha respecting them like they hoped, they began to fear them and fear is much worse than disrespect. But what was done, was done and there was no going back, they had already passed the point of no return. Every child born into the clan obtained the part of Ryuu's soul and bonded with a dragon early on- just like you did. The clan learned to live with the fear and ended up becoming Genin, Chunin, and Jounin... And as you know, the fear and our clan's mistreatment become unbearable and most of the clan left."

"Why did they leave though?" Kasumi asked, her mind still trying to comprehend what her mother was saying to her.

"It was because of the other shinobi and the villagers," Mako began to explain. "For years, we had been treated like vermin and spat on, most of the villagers keeping their distance and making sure their children came nowhere near us. And, of course, they always made sure our clan had the hardest and most dangerous missions, not even thanking us when we got back bloodied and bruised. But it was the night that the nine-tailed fox attacked Konoha that our clan was pushed past our limits. Almost all the clan that had ninja training went and attacked the fox, using our dragons as a distraction while the other ninja ran for backup and waited for the Fourth Hokage to come.

"We lost many dragons and clan members to the dragon, loosing almost a third of our clan. But if it wasn't for them, Konoha would have been damaged even more- or worse, it would have fallen. Yet the villagers didn't care, not even bothering to thank the surviving members for saving their skin! They simply turned their head the other way and ignored the fact that our clan saved them. _That_ was the last straw and a few weeks later, our clan left to the mountains, to live their lives with the dragons and make their own village."

Kasumi's eyes were wide, shock shinning in them, her mind finally processing all that her family had told her. She leaned her head against the couch, clutching her bear close to her chest. This was too much for her- too much for a six year old to take in at once! For a while, she simply stayed quiet and thought over everything in her head, ignoring Ren's gentle prodding to be let in. Finally, Kasumi spoke softly, saying, "So I have a dragon spirit in me... And that's why almost everyone fears and hates me..."

"Indeed..." Natsumi sighed. "The dragon spirit have caused us pain, yes, but without him, our clan would be nothing. The village may fear you now, but if you show them your true self, your loyal and loving self, they'll come to respect you. That was something our clan couldn't do but I believe that you can, Kasumi."

"You think?" Kasumi asked, turning to look at her mother with hope filled eyes.

"I believe in you, Kasumi- we all do... You'll show them what it truly means to be an Akiyama!"

"But... what does it mean to be an Akiyama?"

"That is something you must figure out for yourself, little wing," Arashi smiled at his daughter. "We can't tell you, only you can learn..."

"But that is not where our story ends, little one," Mako said, gaining Kasumi's attention. "There is even more to our tale... Now, listen closely, what I'm about to tell you is more important than the other story..." Mako cleared her throat before continuing,

"As you now know, every Akiyama that was born into the clan gained a part of Ryuu's soul but twenty-two years ago, half of our clan lost it. At first no one realized what happened, they just suddenly didn't feel Ryuu's soul in them. They still and their bond with their dragon, of course, and they still had power yet Ryuu's soul was simply gone. But they soon guessed what happened... Around the same time that the souls disappeared, I was born and I was born with power that a baby shouldn't have. It became apparent that the souls that went missing, went into me."

"So you have half of Ryuu's soul in you? That's so cool!"

"Indeed," Mako chuckled before continuing on with the story. "Not only was I stronger than the rest of our clan, but I could actually speak with Ryuu and use _his_ powers, unlike the others. I became a Genin when I was six and a Chunin when I was seven- although that might be because we had a dire need of ninjas to fight in the war... Anyways, I learned a lot from Ryuu and I'm still leaning things today."

"Is that why you have two scents?" Kasumi asked, looking up at Mako with round, confused filled eyes.

"Indeed! One scent belongs only to me while the other belongs to Ryuu. Every person who has a demon or spirit inside have two scents! Anyways, when I was sixteen the other half of the clan lost Ryuu's soul as well. That was six years ago... Do you know what happened six years ago?"

"No," Kasumi frowned. "What?"

"You were born... and you gained the other half of Ryuu's soul. You and I are the only members of the Akiyama clan that still posses Ryuu's soul. Like me, you have a lot of strength for your age, not as much as I did, mind you, but you are still quite strong."

"So I have half of Ryuu's soul in me, not only a small part of it?" Kasumi asked, her eyes wide with shock. "And that's the main reason I am as strong as I am?"

"Yes and no," Mako frowned. "Yes you have half of Ryuu's soul but it's not the main reason you are strong as you are. Ryuu's power is hard to tap into and since you are as young as you are, it will be nearly impossible for you to do so. If you do tap into his power, it will most likely be unintentional and only as some kind of shield for you."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Kasumi asked. Mako sighed before standing up, nodding her head to Arashi. Arashi simply stood up with a nod and took out a kunai, sending it flying in Mako's direction. She watched it calmly as it got closer to her but before it could get too close to her a jolt of fire jutted out and hit the kunai, stopping it in midair and letting it land on the ground. Kasumi gaped, looking at the slightly smoking kunai. "I'm going to be able to do that?"

"Kind of, instead of fire it will most likely be lightning since that's the main element that you can manipulate," Mako smiled, sitting back down on the couch after handing Arashi his kunai. "Like I said before, it will most likely only happen unintentionally and when you need it- like when you are getting attacked and in danger. Anyways, since you haven't taped into his power, the power you have now is the power that you have gained by training. But once you do tap into his power, your own power will grown dramatically."

"When will I be able to do that?" Kasumi questioned.

"You have quite the bit of years ahead of you before you can," Mako said, nearly laughing at pout that Kasumi made. "Now don't be upset, little wing, you'll be able to tap into his powers before you know it. But there is one thing I can do to help you get prepared and that is unlock the seal that is blocking Ryuu's ability to communicate with you."

"Are you sure that's safe, Mako?" Natsumi asked with worry, glancing at her daughter who looked confused. "What if he doesn't like her or tells her lies and puts her down the wrong path?"

"Have some faith, Natsumi, Ryuu is a good spirit and wouldn't do anything to harm Kasumi," Mako sighed before pushing a chair in front of Kasumi and sitting down in it. "Lift the leg that has the tattoo of the flower and vines on my lap!" Kasumi furrowed her brows and looked at her parents with confusion before her father tapped his left leg, realization shining in her eyes. She pulled up her pant leg and lowered her blank leg on Mako's lap, watching as Mako's hands waved over her calf. As soon as she did so a black and white flower appeared on her leg with a crescent moon in the center, vines wrapping around her calf. Mako pointed to the flower, "this is Ryuu's mark, it's to show demons and spirits that he's a part of you. It's also the main source of his power!" She then pointed to the vines that were connected to the flower. "And this is a seal that stops him from speaking to you. Your father placed this seal on you if you were wondering..."

"Papa?" Kasumi's brows furrowed, turning to look at him in confusion. "Why?"

"I knew about the power that it would give you and I was worried that you might accidentally tap into Ryuu's power and hurt someone in the village somehow," Arashi explained. "But I made sure it didn't block out your enhanced senses, I know you needed them soon rather than later."

"It was actually pretty smart," Mako continued. "Since you three are the only ones who really stayed in the village, you have gotten all the hate and fear. Its something that a child shouldn't face alone... But you're ready now and I'm going to release the seal," Mako closed her eyes as she ran her hand along the vines, making them glow white. Kasumi hissed as it began to burn and she clenched her fists tightly, her mother and father looking at her with concern.

As the light slowly began to dim, so did the pain, Kasumi relaxing as soon as it stopped. When Kasumi looked down at the leg, she saw that the vines were gone with no trace that they were ever there. The flower remained on Kasumi's calf, not disappearing back into her calf like she thought it would. Mako let out a relieved breath as she saw that the release of the seal worked correctly. She then plopped back in her seat, wiping away the small trace of sweat on her forehead.

"There we go," Mako smiled. "Now that the seals gone, you should be able to communicate with Ryuu! I think it would be best if you finally met him..."

"How do I meet him?" Kasumi asked.

"Close your eyes," Mako instructed and Kasumi quickly shut her eyes. "And say 'Ryuu, king of dragons, I ask you to guide me to your domain and grant me your knowledge."

"Okay," Kasumi took a deep breath before saying, "Ryuu, king of dragons, I ask you to guide me to your domain and grant me your knowledge."

A bright light flashed in Kasumi's mind as she suddenly felt dizzy, doing her best to not fall out of her chair. Once the light faded Kasumi slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes widened as she saw just what was in front of her and a loud gasp left her lips. She was standing in a large, bright meadow with a pond off to the side, fish swimming around in it. The brown-eyed girl felt something behind her and she turned around to meet the gaze of dark red.

A large male dragon the size of a two-story house stood behind her, wings curled at his side and his head held high. His scales were a mixture between white and blue with silver feathery wings. His eyes were a dark red and was rimmed with black. Two large horns were on his head with smaller ones going down his neck, back, and to his tail. The dragon radiated power and Kasumi looked at him with awe.

"You're Ryuu!" Kasumi gasped, her brown-colored eyes still wide.

**"And you're Kasumi,"** Ryuu replied with amusement in his growling voice. **"I have waited many years to greet you..."**

"Y-you have?"

**"Of course,"** Ryuu stood up and walked around Kasumi. **"How I've longed to speak with you..."**

"About what?" Kasumi questioned.

**"About everything yet nothing,"** Ryuu murmured. **"You're different then Mako... There is a true happiness in your eyes- I shouldn't be surprised though, you are still young and haven't experienced many things filled with sorrow. I wonder if you'll still be able to smile in true happiness with what's yet to come..."**

"What do you mean?"

**"I separated my soul into two parts for a reason,"** Ryuu said, sitting in front of Kasumi and indicating for her to do the same. **"War is coming... I don't know when but I have seen it with my own eyes. In order for the way of the Shinobi to continue, I have given my power to two individuals in hopes that you can help in the coming wars. And I wonder if you will still be able to smile as the war continues."**

"War..." Kasumi's eyes widened. "But... I'm so young to go to war- to unexperienced! I hardly know any jutsus or attacks! If I go to war now I'll d-"

**"War isn't upon us now, Kasumi. We still have many years until it starts but even so, you must be made aware of it. Just stay aware of what's around you and become as strong as you can. If you shall ever need me, just call on me. Say the same plea, and I will come and take back to my domain. Later, when you become stronger, you shall be able to communicate to me like you do with your bonded dragon. Now time grows short, you must get back to your domain... We will talk soon..."**

And in a flash, Kasumi was back in the cave, opening her eyes to see Mako looking at her with amusement. Both Arashi and Natsumi were by her side, worry in their eyes.

"How was it?" Mako asked. "Feel intimidated?"

"A little... He was so big! But really nice, like a teddy bear," Kasumi giggled. "I felt happy when I was there, as if everything was going to be fine!"

"Good... He will be a big part of your life so it is best that you have a good relationship with him," Mako yawned. "Now I don't know about you three but I'm beat... I would very much like to go to sleep!"

* * *

><p>Kasumi was taking a nap by her tiger lilies, her bear under her head as she leaned her head against it and slept quietly. It was a Sunday, one of the few days where she had no lessons or training and she was taking advantage of it by sleeping. She was going to play with Zero and Naruto but she couldn't find Zero and Naruto had gotten in trouble by playing a prank on his sensei, Iruka, and had to help him clean the classroom. So instead of finding her other friends like she usually would have, she slept. Since Mako had unlocked the seal on her leg, she got tired faster and didn't have much energy as she did before. Not that she really minded since it gave her an excuse to sleep in more.<p>

"Kasumi!" A timid voice called out, the voice wavering and filled with pain. Kasumi slowly blinked her eyes awake and sat up, rubbing her sleep filled eyes before she looked around for the source of the voice. Her eyes landed on Zero's who had her back to her, looking at the other side of the courtyard. The girl was looking around frantically and Kasumi could tell that there was something off.

Zero's aura was filled with sorrow, her usual scent of vanilla and poppy flowers covered with the scent of tears and blood. An older boy was beside her, having pale skin, long black hair, dark blue eyes, and a hitai-ate already around his forehead. She imminently recognized him as Zero's surrogate brother, Masato, a Chunin about to become a ANBU.

"I'm over here!" Kasumi called out, quickly standing so the pair could see her. Imminently Masato grabbed Zero's shoulder and ran over to Kasumi, worry written across his face. Kasumi's eyes widened in horror as she saw Zero's face, her eyes looking at the blood that slowly ran down her face. There was a large gash coming from her jaw and going across her left cheek. Her right eye was snapped shut, blood slowly coming out of it along with tears that came out of both. "By the gods! What happened to you, Zero?"

"We'll explain later, right now we need a healer and your clan have the best ones," Masato said before Zero could open her mouth. "Can you please get one of them to heal her?"

"Of course, follow me! I'll lead you to my mother, she's the best one we got," Kasumi grabbed his hand and dragged the two after her, hurrying into the house and to her mothers study. She could feel her mother there, hear the gentle sighs that passed through her lips as she wrote. As soon as she opened the door, her mother was on her feet and looking at Kasumi with curiosity. "Mama, Zero needs help!"

"What happened?" Natsumi gasped as she saw Zero, gently pulling Masato away from Zero and helping her lie down on a spare bed. "Wait don't tell me yet, let me heal the wounds first! Kasumi, I may need your help..." Kasumi nodded her head and went to her mother, standing on the other side of the bed. "I want you to heal any other wounds or bruises that you can find while I work on her face!"

Kasumi nodded again and gently placed her hands on Zero's stomach, concentrating and allowing for her chakra to shakily come out and start to heal the minor cuts that Zero had gained. Masato was leaning against the wall by Zero, looking down at her with worry as the two Akiyamas worked on his little sister, his brows furrowed.

"Now would be a good time to tell us what happened," Natsumi murmured as soon as Kasumi finished healing Zero, pulling back and wiping off the sweat that had collected on her forehead. Natsumi had finished the cut on the cheek and was now working on the eye, trying her best to save it but was having little success at doing so.

"Bullies," Zero murmured softly, doing her best not to move her left cheek so much. "I... I was reading a manga in a meadow since it was so calm there and no one was there to bother me but there was this strange mirror in the center."

"A Jounin was using it to teach one of his charges a genjutsu with it," Masato muttered, glaring out the window. "Stupid man forgot to put it up after he taught his student the Genjutsu!"

"Well I saw sitting by the mirror and reading when these... Mean kids came out and started to tease me," Zero's voice crackled and Kasumi pierced her lips, anger and sympathy flashing in her eyes. She knew what it was liked to be bullied, some kids had tried to do it to her but had stopped once she had introduced them to her puppet. "One of them pushed me and I pushed back but then... He pushed me to hard and I..." Zero stopped, trying her best not to cry

"...fell through the mirror," Masato finished for her, a growl in his voice. "And those little bastards-"

"Language," Zero snapped weakly, a somewhat amused but mostly sad smile across her lips.

"That little _punk_ got away with it to," Masato spat, "I didn't get there until it was too late, and when I did, they were claiming self-defense!"

"Who ever did it deserves to get punished," Natsumi growled, stopping for a moment to collect herself before returning to her healing. When she finished she pulled away, helping Zero sit up with a sad smile. The gash on her cheek had healed up and only left a scar, although it was a bright pink and a sharp contrast to her skin tone. Natsumi wasn't able to save her left eye, unable to make it work again since it had been damaged too much. Even so, the eye was luckily still in place but there was no iris or pupil, just a cloudy whiteness. "I'm sorry, Zero, but that is all I could do..."

Zero weakly pushed herself up and stumbled over to a mirror, looking at her reflection with her eyes filled with tears. She weakly traced the bright pink scar and let out a sob, her brother there a moment later and hugging her close to his chest. Kasumi bowed her head, sorrow written across her face and she wished there was something she could do but she knew there was nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well I hope you enjoyed the chapter! If there is any confusion, please tell me and I will try to clear it up!**

**Till next time :3**


	3. Chapter 3: Collections

"You may go to lunch, Kasumi," Natsumi said as soon as she finished the lesson, packing up her supplies. Kasumi quickly thanked her mother before hurrying to the kitchen, strapping her katana to her back before picking up her bag and making her way out of the house. Glancing at the sky, she noted that her mother let her out early and that she would probably be hanging out in the tree for a while before the other students would get led out. She paused for a moment, debating on whether or not to go straight to the cherry blossom tree and in the end, she went in the other direction, towards Zero's house.

Both Naruto and her hadn't seen Zero for over a week and when Naruto had asked Iruka about it, he had simply said that she had to stay home for medical reasons and couldn't some back until she was healed. Kasumi didn't understand, her mother had healed her throughly and there shouldn't have been a reason for Zero to stay home because of her injuries. But the pair had accepted it, guessing that Zero's wounds had somehow reopened and she didn't have the heart to go back to Natsumi and ask for her to heal it again. Kasumi yawned as she reached Zero's house, deciding to take Zero with her to their normal lunch area so she wasn't lonely. As soon as she opened the door, a middle-aged darkly skinned woman with tired eyes opened the door with a small smile.

"Hi Mrs. Yoshida! I was wondering if Zero would like to go eat lunch with me," Kasumi said, smiling shyly. She was never one for talking to adults, to used to them sneering and snarling at her. But Zero's mother was kind, simply nodding her head before welcoming Kasumi into the house before heading up the stairs to Zero's room. A few minuets passed before Zero walked down the stairs, half-heartedly waving to Kasumi before ducking into the kitchen before reappearing with her lunch in her arms.

Kasumi frowned as she looked at Zero, surprise in her russet-brown eyes as she took in the dark blue mask that Zero wore, seeing how it covered her neck, scar, and how it ended just above her nose. But what surprised her the most was that the eye that Zero had lost was no longer a misty white, instead it was clear and had a dark blue iris.

"Zero, your eye!" Kasumi exclaimed, getting closer to her friend to look at the eye. "It changed colors!"

"Not exactly," Zero chuckled softly, her somewhat sad eyes filling with amusement. "Masato exchanged eyes with me... He gave me his while he took mine..."

"You're brother is heroic," Kasumi sighed dreamily before snorting. "C'mon! If we hurry, we might make it to the school in time to see the kids in the other grade! Oh you might even meet Lee- he's really nice!"

Kasumi grabbed Zero's hand and the two ran off, the latter laughing softly as the former rambled on about random things. They got to the school with ten minuets to spare before the other grade went in and they quickly made themselves comfortable on the cherry blossom tree. Zero sat quietly as she sat on her tree branch, absently listening to Kasumi ramble on but her thoughts had strayed away. Kasumi had noticed and quieted down, looking at her friend with worry.

She could practically smell the sadness coming from Zero and she knew it was because of what happened the week before. Piercing her lips, she looked away, wishing that she could make her friend smile but her mind only came up with blanks. So she kept quiet, well she did until she caught Zero staring at some boy who was all alone, sulking in the corner of the academy.

"Do you know him?" Kasumi asked, startling her friend and making her jump, surprise in her eyes. "Ha! Uh I mean sorry... Who are you staring at?"

"I'm not staring at anyone," Zero said defensively, sending a half-hearted glare towards her friend.

"Suuuure!" Kasumi giggled before leaning over looking at the boy. "You know, that boy has eyes the same color as Hinata... I wonder if they're related or something..."

* * *

><p>Kasumi leaned in her chair, furrowing her brows as she looked over the page in front of her. Her mother had given her the last assignment that she would ever get from her and Kasumi was beyond confused. She admitted, she hadn't really been paying attention to her mother the last few lessons, to excited to be going to the academy soon. Glancing at Ren, who was watching her with amusement, she grinned and thought to her, <em>'Hey Ren... Would you like to help me?'<em>

_"I don't see why not," _Ren murmured before walking over and examining the paper. Her eyes flew across the paper, almost instantly knowing the answers to the questions. Slowly, she helped her bonded out, giving her little hints that would make her realize what the answer was. They worked together until the paper was finished, Kasumi thanking her bonded before taking her paper back to her mother.

"Very good, Kasumi!" Natsumi praised as she looked over the paper, leaning down to ruffle her hair before placing the paper in a file with all of Kasumi's other assignments. "You got all of them right! I'm actually a bit surprised, I was sure that you weren't paying attention when I was giving you the last lesson but I guess I was wrong."

"I guess so," Kasumi laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish smile.

"Now I believe your father wanted to show you something," Natsumi continued, "I think he's off in the training area... Make sure to bring Ren with you!"

"Okay mama," Kasumi nodded her head and began to walk to the training area in the backyard, picking up Ren along the way. As they got to the training area she saw her father training with Duster, fighting his clones as one. She stood back a little and watched with large eyes, fascination shinning in her brown orbs. When her father and Duster finished the clones, they turned to look at Kasumi as she began to clap.

"Brava!" Kasumi clapped happily, a wide grin on her face. Arashi grinned at his daughter and did a mock bow, Duster bowing his head slightly as well while letting out an amused chuckle. Still grinning, Kasumi asked, "what is it that you want to show me papa?"

"A jutsu- more like a ritual actually," Arashi admitted before letting Duster return to his normal size. "You know the seals and runes I use to made Duster big, right?"

"Yeah! I've seen you use them a few times," Kasumi nodded her head, walking so she stood in front of her father with Ren at her side. "Are you going to teach me how to do that?"

"Of course," Arashi grinned, "pay close attention, little wing..."

Arashi put Duster in front of him before sitting down on the grass, indicating for Kasumi to do the same. He then cut the palm of his left hand with his crystal dagger and dipped his fingers in the blood, writing the runes 'Dragon', 'Expand', and 'Blood', on Duster's face. "Now, little wing, I want you to do the same!"

"Do I have to cut my hand?" Kasumi asked, looking at the crystal dagger warily.

"Sorry but yes," Arashi nodded before cleansing the crystal dagger and handing it to Kasumi. "Be careful with it little wing and make sure you don't cut your hand to deeply..."

Kasumi gave a hesitant nod before taking the dagger from his hand, twirling it in her hands before gently slicing her left palm. She winced as her hand began to sting and slowly dipped her finger in her blood, raising her hand to slowly write the runes on Ren's head. As soon as she was finished, she set the dagger to the side and healed her palm, watching as it left a faint pink scar.

"Very good, Kasumi," Arashi ruffled her hair before showing her the seals that she had to do. "After the runes are properly written, use the seals dragon, bear, and tiger to complete the ritual..." Arashi demonstrated and as soon as the last seal was made, a soft orange glow encased Duster before he began to change his size. "Now, you try!"

Kasumi nodded her head before doing the seals slowly, blinking in shock when a soft purple glow encased her dragon. Slowly the light faded away and once it did, Kasumi saw that her dragon was now in her real form, large and towering over her like a giant. Ren looked at her body with wide eyes, taking in her huge feathery wings and her long, sharp claws.

"Ren," Kasumi gasped, her eyes wide. Ren blinked slowly, turning to look at her bonded with curious eyes. "You look... Awesome!"

* * *

><p>The morning came by slowly, the moon and night sky slowly being replaced by the bright sun and the light blue sky that was covered in delicate white clouds. As soon as the light shinned brightly in her window, Kasumi was up on her feet and rushing to her bathroom to take a shower. Her seventh birthday had passed a week ago and like her parents promised her, she had been allowed to sign up for the ninja academy. She was beyond excited, knowing that she shared a class with most of her friends and that she would hopefully make a few new ones. Quickly, she jumped into her shower and washed up, washing her hair and scrubbing any dirt that had managed to get on her while sleeping.<p>

As soon as she got out of the shower, she dried up and dashed back into her room, heading for her closet. She pulled on a simple outfit that her mother had helped her pick out the night before and she hurried back to her bathroom to put it on. Carefully, she pulled on her underclothes before slipping on her silver-colored shorts, making sure to cover her left calf with bandages like her mother said to. Natsumi didn't want any kid to see the tattoo and begin to question her on it, knowing her daughter was a horrible liar. Kasumi then put on her cheongsam that went to her knees. It was black with silver trimmings, the Akiyama crest on the back- a gold circle with a silver dragon's head inside of it.** (1)**

She then slipped on her shoes before slipping her flower necklace on, shrugging her katana over her shoulders before beginning to comb her hair and fashion it to her liking. Kasumi paused for a moment afterward, simply staring at her reflection with a blank look in her eyes. Her hair was a lovely shade of teal, like her father's, and it was long, going to the middle of her back and kept together by a hair-tie by the bottom of her hair. Her russet-brown eyes were large and warm, full of excitement and almost doe-like. Like her mother, she had a light shade of freckles dusting her cheeks. She smiled at her reflection hurrying downstairs with excitement radiating off her. As she got to the kitchen, she saw her mother making her lunch, being sure to pack an extra one for Naruto since he seemed to be hungry no matter how much he ate.

"Ah is my little daughter ready for school?" Natsumi grinned, leaning down to ruffle her daughter's hair before placing her breakfast on the table. Kasumi nodded her head excitedly before eating her breakfast, being extra careful to not get anything on her clothes. Once she finished, she washed her plate before calling for Ren, letting her sit on her shoulders before waiting for her mother to send her off. Since Kasumi would no longer be training with her father in the morning, he had taken to go on missions again- something Natsumi didn't like.

"Now I'll come pick you up right at the end of class," Natsumi promised, leaning down so she was her daughters height as they got to the gate. She adjusted a few things on Kasumi's person, making sure her cheongsam was straight and that her hair looked good. Once she was satisfied, she kissed her daughter on the forehead and handed her a pack. "Now be good! And hurry, you don't want to be late on your first day!"

"Bye mama!" Kasumi waved goodbye before beginning her walk to the school. As she got nearer, she felt her stomach tighten nervously as she began to wonder whether or not the other kids would like her. She hoped they would, she didn't want to be the kid that no one liked. In her thinking, she had managed to begin to walk slower and when she got to the school, she heard a bell ring and saw that none of the kids were out anymore. "Oh no! I'm late!"

Kasumi took off running to the school, bursting through the doors and beginning to look for her classroom. It took her a few minuets and when she did, she blushed darkly when she saw that it was one of the first rooms- one that she had passed a few times. Timidly, she opened the door and hesitantly stepped in, imminently noticing that the class had gotten silent when they saw her. Her eyes were wide as she took in the classroom, surprised by how many kids shared that class with her. But she was happy to see that she knew quite a few of the kids there, Naruto and Zero standing out the most.

"There's my new student," she heard a cheerful voice say from the front and she turned to see younger looking man with brown hair and a kind smile walking towards her. Kasumi liked him imminently, feeling like she could trust him unlike some of the other shinobi she had met in her short lifetime. "I was afraid you had gotten lost!"

"I um... Kind of did," Kasumi chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "I'm not good with directions!"

"Well now that you're here, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?" He suggested. Kasumi nodded her and turned to look at the other students sitting in their seats, giggling softly when she saw Naruto waving like a madman beside Zero. "Naruto! Settle down!"

"Yes Iruka-sensei!" Naruto answered imminently, sounding a little sheepish.

"Well I'm Akiyama Kasumi and this is Ren," she patted her dragon lightly on the head with a small smile. "And uh I like the color red... And um I like raccoons because they're adorable! Oh and I like using puppets!"

"You can go sit by Shikamaru, the one that is taking A NAP IN CLASS!" Iruka ended up shouting at the end, startling Kasumi but managing to wake the sleeping boy. He tiredly lifted his head and sighed when he saw Iruka glaring at him, muttering something under his breath before sitting up in his seat with a bored expression. Kasumi sent him a little wave before making her way over to him, sitting at the open seat next to him and letting Ren sit on the desk, leaning her paws over the desk.

Kasumi leaned her elbows on the table as she listened to Iruka start class, going over something the class had apparently only learned the day before. She already knew what they were talking about, her mother had taught it to her months ago. Letting out a sigh, she rested her chin on her hands, guessing that she was already ahead of most of the class and would be for a few weeks or months. Within an hour of the class, Kasumi was beyond bored and was debating on whether or not to follow Shikamaru who had once again fallen asleep. In the end she didn't, not wanting to give Iruka a reason to dislike her on her first day.

During the lesson, she could see Naruto making faces at her, trying to get her to laugh and then into trouble. Zero was trying to stop him but when she tried, he would simply turn his attention to her and try to do the same thing. Kasumi was sure Iruka noticed since we kept sending a glare in Naruto's direction but the yellow-haired boy completely ignored him. Once lunch started, Kasumi breathed a sigh of relief, she had nearly fallen asleep.

"Thank the gods," Kasumi muttered as she made her way to Naruto, Ren in our arms and still sleeping. "I thought my mother was boring but this is a total different level! I learned most of this months ago..."

"Could we worse," Zero shrugged as the three began their walk to their usual place, heading to the cheery blossom tree. "You could be far behind! At least you'll pass all the upcoming tests!"

"I guess your right about that..." Kasumi handed Naruto his lunch before she made herself comfortable on the grass, pulling her bento box close as she ate the food her mother had prepared for her. The three talked quietly, Naruto and Kasumi doing most of the talking while Zero listened and offered her impute here and there. It had been like that ever since the incident with Zero happened. She wasn't as happy or talkative anymore, liking to remain quiet and not noticeable.

Lunch was halfway over when Kasumi noticed a few kids walking toward them, notching that they were all in her class. She offered a smile and a wave, noticing that Shino and Shikamaru were in the group as well.

"Hello," Kasumi said quietly, waving at the kids in front of her. The first one she noticed was a boy with unruly brown hair that had an air of confidence around him, the next was a slightly chubby kid eating a bag of chips and not looking like he was going to stop anytime soon. The last one was a girl with short blonde hair and blue eyes, Sakura standing next to her and looking a little shy and sheepish.

"You're Kasumi, right?" The boy with brown hair asked, sending her a lopsided grin. Kasumi merely nodded, not noticing the heated glare at that Naruto was sending in the boy's direction, dislike evident on his face. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba!"

"And I'm Yamanaka Ino!" The blonde said cheerfully, smiling at the teal-haired girl. "You've been here before, haven't you? I've always noticed you by this tree hanging out during lunch. Were you in another class before this?"

"No I was homeschooled," Kasumi shook her head. "My parents allowed me to go to school when I turned seven so here I am..."

"Oh that's different!" Ino blinked in surprised before smiling, "well the one eating is Akimichi Choji!"

"It's nice to meet you all," Kasumi bowed her head slightly.

"Can I pet your dragon?" Kiba asked excitedly. Kasumi nodded, gently waking up her dragon who yawned and looked up at the kids around her. She began to purr as soon as Kiba began to pet her, loving the attention that she was getting. Naruto was grumbling under his breath, still glaring at Kiba who seemed to forget that he was even there while Zero stayed quiet, eating silently and trying to make herself seem as small as possible. Lunch ended quickly, Kasumi talking to Kiba most of it before everyone went back to class. Kasumi noted that Naruto was still sulking and glaring at the back of Kiba's head and Kasumi got an idea of what was going on.

Walking over to Naruto, she whispered in his ear, "don't worry, little monkey, you're still my best friend!" Grinning at Naruto, she hurried to her seat and promptly leaned her elbows on the table as Iruka continued his lesson. The rest of the day went on slowly, Iruka giving them a reading assignment before letting everyone out. Kasumi sighed in relief before heading out, promising to see Naruto and Zero later before going to where her mother and father was waiting.

"How was your first day of school?" Arashi asked, yawning. He had just gotten back from a mission and hadn't rested yet, putting his daughter above his welfare.

"Really boring," Kasumi sighed. "I already knew most of what he was teaching... But I made some knew friends! And I like Iruka-sensei, he's really funny and kind! Although he is _really_ boring but that may only be because I know most of what he's teaching. But everyone in my class is really nice..."

"Let's hope they stay that way," Natsumi muttered under her breath, trying not to let Kasumi hear it but failing. Kasumi furrowed her brow and wondered what her mother meant but ending up shrugging if off when she came up with no explanation.

* * *

><p>"No I think you have to add it together," Kasumi murmured as she sat beside Naruto, going over the homework that Iruka had assigned them. If there was one thing Kasumi was horrible at, then it was math. It just didn't come natural to her like the other subjects did and she usually had a hard time completing the assignments that involved a lot of math. Naruto had the same problem so both thought working together on the homework would work out but they realized it wasn't that great of an idea. "That way we'll get the total distance..."<p>

"I think you're right," Naruto nodded, quickly trying to add the two numbers together before marking what he got in the answer column. They finished the last three problems before going over the answers, nodding in approval before slipping the homework back in their bags. They talked as they began to make their way to Kasumi's home, planning on having dinner before stargazing in the forest with Zero and her family. Kasumi winced slightly as she realized that they had taken the longer path to her home and had to pass by multiple bars to get back on the path. Naruto noticed to and he looked around worriedly, grabbing Kasumi's wrist and pulling her closer.

He knew as well as she did that they weren't in a safe part of the village since only drunks and other unpleasant people hanged out there. Their voices quieted down and became soft whispers, looking around nervously as they continued to their way. Kasumi's eyes narrowed as she saw a few people watching them from the shadows and judging by the size, they were mostly grown men.

"Naruto, people are watching us," Kasumi whispered, hugging Naruto's arm. She hadn't ever really been afraid to walk in the village since she always had Ren, Jun or her katana with her but she had left them at home since she didn't think that she would need them for homework.

"I know, just keep walking," Naruto murmured and they hurried along. They almost got to the end of the street and were going to cross into the path that would lead them back to the main road when the people who had followed them in the shadows stepped in front of them.

"Oh why look at what we have here!" One of the men laughed, his words slurred and loud, showing that he was drunk. "Two little monsters hanging out together! How sweet!"

"Get lost, little monsters," another man spat, hatred flaring in his eyes. Both Kasumi and Naruto flinched and tried to get away from them but the previous man stopped them with a sick laugh and a raised hand.

"Oh no! You two aren't going anywhere," the drunk man turned to the others, sending them a twisted smile. "Why don't we have a little fun first? I mean, when will we get another chance like this?"

"You're right! Lets play with them for a while," a woman laughed, her laugh dark and twisted. Kasumi's eyes widened in fear, wondering what they were going to do with them. She looked around for some way to escape but there was nowhere to go, the drunks were in front of them with some others slowly coming up behind them. Naruto quickly pushed Kasumi behind him, trying to protect her from the drunks in front of them. Only a moment passed before Kasumi spotted the first drunk guy pick up a rock, throwing it up and down in his hand before grinning and chucking it at them. Kasumi let out a shriek as it his Naruto in the shoulder, causing Naruto's arm to jerk back and hit her in the cheek.

"Stop!" Kasumi shouted as the others began to throw rocks, Naruto trying his best to dodge the rocks while keeping Kasumi got out danger. Kasumi had covered her head in her hands, trembling in fear as the other group from behind them got close and joined in the throwing. Kasumi cried out as a few of the rocks hit her, crying as pain flared up her body and she felt a bit of blood dribble down her arm where a rock had hit. She could hear Naruto crying out behind her, getting hit as much as she was as they continued to try to dodge. It was only when a larger rock hit Naruto in the stomach when something in Kasumi clicked into place.

Calmly, she straightened up and glared harshly at the people throwing rocks at her, tears still streaming from her russet-brown eyes that were quickly taking on a red hue. The next rock that got close to Kasumi exploded into dust as a bolt of lightning struck it, sending the remainder of the rocks flying. Still calm, Kasumi watched as any other rock got near to her or Naruto promptly got struck by lightning and turned to dust, their attackers gaping at them.

"Kasumi how did you do that?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide with surprise. But before she could answer, she heard a loud roar before Duster landed in front of them, snaring at the now extremely frightened drunks. Both her mother and father slid off Duster and went in attack mode, her mother sending a gust of strong wind at the drunks behind them while her father sent a wave of water at the others. Ren fly from Duster's back and ran to Kasumi, nuzzling her cheek in worry.

_"Are you and Naruto okay, mistress?"_ Ren asked with worry, glancing between the two battered and bleeding kids. _"I could sense your terror and pain and we came as quickly as we could!"_

_'We're fine,'_ Kasumi promised with a forced smile. Her eyes had lost the glow to them and she felt tired, slumping her shoulders in a mix of relief and exhaustion._ 'Just a little hurt...'_

"Don't you _ever_ attack those kids again!" Arashi snarled as he lifted up the man who had suggested the rock throwing in the first place, hatred and rage burning in his silver eyes. "Do you hear me?"

"Y-yes!" The man stuttered fearfully, trembling. "W-we won't g-go near th-the kids ag-again!"

"Damn right you won't!" Natsumi snapped as Arashi dropped the man. "If I ever see you near those children- any of you- I will end you!"

"Of cou-course ma'am!" The drunk villagers took off, looking back every few seconds to make sure that no one was following them. Natsumi, imminently calming down, rushed over to the two kids and began to inspect them, making sure nothing was broken.

"Are you two okay? Does anything feel broken?" Natsumi asked worriedly as Arashi walked over to the two, pulling all three into a hug. Naruto's eyes were wide with surprise, not expecting to have people worry over him. "Thank the gods that we got here in time! We were so worried for you two!"

"Why?" Naruto suddenly asked, looking at them with unmasked confusion. "Why were worried about me? No one had been worried about me before so why are you? I'm not your son..."

"You might as well be," Natsumi sent the boy a small smile, pulling him into a hug. "You are a wonderful boy, Naruto, and Kasumi's best friend! Even if we have only known you for half a year, we see you as a son. As long as we are here in Konoha, Naruto, we will be here for you!" Pulling back with a soft smile, she kissed his forehead before standing up. "Now let's get home, we need to get those wounds cleaned and healed before they become infected."

* * *

><p>Something was wrong and Kasumi had a horrible feeling that it had to do with Zero. The multicolor-eyed girl had been silent and tense the whole day at school, a weird look in her eyes and her aura had a strange feel to it. At lunch she had been nowhere to be found, disappearing out of the classroom as soon as Iruka had dismissed them. She only came back once lunch was over and she was as quiet as before, keeping quiet during class and not really speaking, only talking when Iruka called on her. And even then her voice was beyond its normal soft, it had been barely above a whisper.<p>

Kasumi wasn't the only one to notice of course, Naruto and Hinata had also seen Zero's change and had questioned each other about it. But they all had the same answer, not knowing what was going on with their friend. It only got worse as the day progressed, the aura around Zero getting darker and darker as the minuets passed. The aura had begun to affect Ryuu, stirring the dragon spirit and making Kasumi feel more uneasy then she already was. When class finally ended, Zero was gone, leaving no trail that she had been there in the first place.

"I don't know what's up with Zero but it worries me," Kasumi admitted to Naruto as they walked to her house to practice their kunai stances with Arashi and Natsumi.

"Maybe she's just not feeling good," Naruto shrugged.

"Maybe..."

As soon as they got to Kasumi's home, they ate a small snack before heading into the training area in her backyard. Arashi was already waiting for them and greeted them with a smile, quickly beginning the training. Kasumi's stance was already good since her father had taught her the proper stance since before she joined the academy. Naruto needed a little extra hard work but both Arashi and Kasumi didn't mind slowing the training down so he could catch up. During the training, Kasumi couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong, the tension never leaving her body.

They were at least a couple of hours in their training when a Jounin hurried into their backyard, calling Arashi over. Arashi told the two to continue their training before walking off to the Jounin, sharing a few started words and grave looks before the Jounin left.

"I'm sorry you two but I have to go," Arashi apologized, leaning down to kiss Kasumi's forehead before ruffling Naruto's hair. "Natsumi will continue training you guys..."

And with that, he left and Natsumi came out a moment later, a troubled look on her face that disappeared as soon as she saw the two kids. Their training ended after a few hours and Naruto left after dinner, thanking Natsumi before rushing off. A few more hours passed before Arashi came back, quietly exchanging a few words with Natsumi before they headed up to put Kasumi to bed. Her eyes were full of confusion and worry as her mother and father talking, looking back at her every few moments.

The next day at school, Zero didn't show up. Nor did anyone answer the door when Kasumi and Hinata knocked. The house had been silent, nothing stirring in the house and there was no noise or proof that someone lived there. Zero didn't come to school the day after that or for the next two weeks, worrying all her friends but Iruka-sensei had promised that she was fine and only sick. Once Zero finally did come back, she was different, everyone that was close to her could see.

She was sill quiet and reserved, but there was this almost lost look in her eyes, her eyes sometimes even looked dead. But she was somewhat back to her old self, talking and laughing with Kasumi and Naruto. The pair thought nothing of Zero's absence, thinking that she truly was only sick and that nothing truly bad had happened to her. But when they went to follow Zero home to ask her parents if she could stay the night at Kasumi's, they knew that something had happened.

Instead of Zero's parents answering the door, a strange man and woman did who greeted Zero like she was their daughter. And the strangest thing was that Zero did the same, rushing to hug the two and saying how she loved them. Kasumi and Naruto had shared a strange look, not understanding what was happening but when they went to ask what was going on, Zero's 'parents' had caught their glance and shook their heads, silently promising to tell them later.

And they did, when Zero went up to get her things, the two began to explain to them about what was going on. Something bad had happened a few days ago that led to Zero's parents deaths, her surrogate brother's imprisonment, and her weakened sanity. The hokage had ordered them to put a memory altering jutsu on Zero in order to help her state of mind and not make her loose her sanity.

"You mustn't say anything to her," Zero's foster-mother said, her eyes pleading. "If you do, you could break the memory jutsu and make her sanity disappear altogether."

And so the two seven year-olds promised to say nothing, both their heads and hearts heavy with the knowledge that they now carried.

* * *

><p>Kasumi hummed as she dipped her brush into a jar of black paint, reaching down and repainting the black around Jun's eyes. The color had began to fade only a few days before and Kasumi had decided to fix it before it got worse. The puppet's head rested in Kasumi's lap as she repainted it, tilting its head back slightly so she could have a better angle and a steady hand. When she finished painting around Jun's eyes, she got up and washed her brush before putting her paints away. Activating her chakra strings, she made Jun walk behind her as they made their way to the kitchen where Natsumi was cooking something sweet.<p>

"What are you making, mama?" Kasumi asked making Jun pick her up so she could peer into the bowl that her mother was mixing into. Her nose caught the scent of chocolate and she smiled slightly, enjoying the smell. "Are you making cake?"

"Yes, it's for Kotaro's birthday," Natsumi replied, sending her daughter a smile before she poured the batter into a circular pan.

"Who's Kotaro?" Kasumi asked, her head tilted in confusion.

"A young Chunin that I used to babysit when you were young," Natsumi replied after she put the cake in the oven and took a seat at the table, Kasumi letting Jun lower her to the ground so she could sit in a chair by her mother. "I used to be good friends with his mother before... Before she passed on... I've made Kotaro and Saya's birthday cakes ever since their parents passed on. I'm surprised you haven't noticed yet! You're usually there whenever I make something sweet!"

Kasumi merely shrugged before getting up again when Natsumi suggested that they start dinner so it would be done by the time Arashi got home from his mission. The cake finished in the oven quickly and Natsumi allowed for Kasumi to frost and decorate the cake while she began dinner. The teal-haired girl had decided to use dark green icing for the cake while putting little sugar shurikens around the top of the cake. Natsumi sang softly as she began to cut up numerous vegetables to put into the stew that she decided to make.

"I finished mama!" Kasumi beamed as she finished, stepping back to allow for her mother to see her work. Natsumi smiled as she looked at the cake, taking in the slightly lopsided _'Kotaro'_ in the middle of the cake made of sugar letters. A few sugar shurikens were scattered around, along with the letters _'A'_ and _'K'_ painted at the bottom of the cake with white frosting. "Isn't it pretty?"

"Absolutely perfect," Natsumi patted Kasumi's head before sliding the vegetables into the stew along with a few other things. "Kotaro will love it! You know what? Let's go give it to him now- that way Saya and him can eat it before it gets too late."

Kasumi nodded her head and watched as her mother covered the cake up before putting it in Jun's arms, Kasumi tightening her chakra strings as she did so. Slowly, they began to make their way through the village and to one of the larger homes near by. Blinking slowly, Kasumi realized that she didn't recognize the clan that belonged in the house and simply told herself that it wasn't very important if her mother didn't tell her. Natsumi knocked as they got to the house and they waited patiently for the door to open, hearing a girl's voice shout something before a male voice answered back.

"Hell- Oh! Natsumi! I didn't expect to see you so soon," Kotaro said, surprise in his jet-black eyes. Kasumi looked at him in surprise, he was so tall! He easily towered over her, almost taller than her mother and Kasumi had a feeling that he wasn't that old either. "What brings you here?"

"I came to drop off your birthday cake, of course!" Natsumi smiled brightly, taking the cake from Jun's arms and handing it to a blushing Kotaro. "Its chocolate, of course, with green frosting! Your favorite!"

"Ah thank you Natsumi! I've been looking forward to the cake for months," Kotaro grinned, peeking under the cover of the cake and nearly drooling at the sight of the cake. "Did you make this all by yourself?"

"Not this time, I had a little help from my daughter, Kasumi," Natsumi answered, nodding over to Kasumi who was standing by Jun, looking up shyly. "She iced and decorated the cake!"

"That's Kasumi? She's gotten so big! Last time I saw her she barely reached my knees," Kotaro exclaimed, almost laughing when Kasumi blushed darkly. "Well you did a wonderful job, little one," Kotaro complemented before his eyes widened as he saw the chakra strings coming from her fingers. "Natsumi, is she controlling the puppet?"

"Yes! Isn't she good at it for her age?" Natsumi beamed, "she's just like her uncle!"

_'Uncle?'_ Kasumi asked herself, wondering who her mother was talking about. She didn't remember her mother or father mentioning her uncle before, this was the first time that she was even aware of having an uncle.

"Strong kid, just like Saya," Kotaro grinned. "Want to come in and eat a slice of cake with us?"

Natsumi pierced her lips, debating on whether or not to accept before she saw the pleading look on Kasumi's face and she nodded her head. Kotaro smiled before letting them into the house, making their way to the dinning room where Kotaro began to make the table with Natsumi's help.

"Kasumi, can you go get Saya?" Kotaro asked, looking around and noticing that she wasn't with him like he thought she was. "She's probably in the backyard... Just go down the hall and take a left and you'll come across to a glass door."

"Okay..." Kasumi nodded her head before beginning to make her way to the backyard, Jun trailing after her. Finding the backyard didn't take long and she quickly stepped outside, gently shutting the door after she made Jun walk out. Looking around, she didn't find a sign of the girl in the somewhat crowded backyard. The backyard was filled with many different kinds of tall trees along with a few training things. Kasumi was about to give up and go back inside when she head someone's song voice singing. It was barely above a whisper but since her hearing was excellent, she could hear it easily.

_"Deep in the meadow_

_Under the willow_

_A bed of grass_

_A soft green pillow!"_

Kasumi could tell that the voice was female and young, guessing that it was Saya who was singing the song. She found that she liked the song, finding the lyrics pretty although she didn't really know what the song was talking about. After a few seconds of listening, she found where Saya was hiding- in a tall oak tree at the other side of the backyard. As she got closer to Saya, the easier she heard the girl's voice.

_"Lay down your head_

_And close your eyes_

_And when again they open_

_The sun will rise!"**(2)**_

Kasumi stopped walking as she got to the tree, peering up into the branches and making out the faint image of the girl. She was older than her, looking to be already in her teens with short black and red hair and dark purple eyes that shinned as she looked up at the bright sky. She wore a loose, long-sleeved blue shirt and black shorts with black flats on her feet. Taking in her scent, Kasumi noticed that she had two scents- vanilla mixed with cinnamon and the scent of a burning spice. It looked like she hadn't noticed Kasumi yet and continued to sing, closing her eyes as she sang softly,

_"Here it's safe_

_Here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard_

_You from every harm!_

_And here your dreams are sweet_

_And tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you!"_

"Your voice is really pretty," Kasumi called out when Saya took in a deep breath. Saya jumped, startled by the sudden voice and tipped over the side of the branch she rested on and fell into a bush with a soft _thud! _Kasumi winced, mentally scolding herself for not being more careful and making the girl fall down from such a tall height. "Sorry!" She watched as Saya got to her feet, turning to glare at Kasumi who had began to chuckle nervously. The killing intent that was coming from Saya unnerved her and she sent her a little wave before taking off into the house, Jun beside her while was Saya right behind them.

Just before she got to the kitchen, she felt the girl crash into her, causing her to let go of her chakra strings and make Jun fall down beside her.

"You should know better than to sneak up on people when they aren't paying attention," Saya growled, glaring at Kasumi. Kasumi glared back and was just about to use her chakra strings on the girl when she heard her mother and Kotaro walk to where they were.

"Saya, get off of her and come here," Kotaro sighed, looking at his sister with an exasperated look. Saya merely grunted but let Kasumi up, causing her to jump up and run behind her mother, still glaring at Saya while she resisted the urge to get her with her strings. Instead, she used them on Jun and picked it up before making it walk towards her. Saya didn't move from her spot, instead standing where she was and looking at the three people who were now in front of her.

"Nice to see you again, Saya," Natsumi said cheerfully, walking over to Saya and ruffling her hair. "My, how you've grown!" A slight smile stretched across her face before she bowed and headed up the stairs.

"I guess she doesn't want any cake," Kotaro chuckled before leading them back into the kitchen. Kasumi absently ate her cake while Natsumi and Kotaro talked, wishing that she had brought Ren so she wouldn't have been so bored. They were almost done with their slices of cake when Saya walked into the kitchen, a small wrapped box in her hands.

"I got you a gift Kotaro!" Saya smirked, placing the box in front of her big brother.

"Ah you shouldn't have," Kotaro said, ruffling Saya's hair before slowly opening the box, shouting when a bug suddenly jumped from it and landed on his head. Kasumi let out a squeak of her own, imminently borrowing her head into her mother's side as Kotaro tried to get the bug out of his hair. "Saya, you're going to get it!"

Saya merely giggled before running out the kitchen and back up the stairs and into her room.

Once Kotaro managed to get the bug back into the box and away from the table, they went back to their cake. They finished the cake after a few minuets and Kotaro asked if they wanted to stay for dinner.

"Oh no thank you, Kasumi and I already have dinner cooking," Natsumi politely declined. "Now you take care of yourself and have a wonderful birthday!"

As Natsumi and Kasumi began to make their way home, Kasumi asked her mother a question that had bugged her since she first saw Saya singing in the tall tree. "Mama, why does Saya have two scents? Is she like me?"

Natsumi froze slightly, her eyes widen at the question and she quickly made sure no one had heard Kasumi. Luckily no one had and she quickly grabbed Kasumi's hand and pulled her into their yard. "You mustn't tell anyone of what you smelt, okay?"

"But... Why mama? I mean I have two scents too and no one tries to keep it a secret!"

"I know, Kasumi, but this is different," Natsumi sighed, running her hand through her hair. "Saya is like you but she's... Different. You have a spirit in you, a good one at that, while Saya... Has a demon."

"A... Demon?"

"Yes, the two-tailed cat Matatabi to be exact," Natsumi crouched beside her daughter and took her small hands in hers. "Now, Kasumi, you must keep what you know a secret from everyone! No one can know, okay? Not even Saya..."

"B-but why?"

"You're too young to understand... Just know, that it's in everyone's best interest if it's never spoken aloud. Now I want you to promise me that you won't say a thing! Can you do that?"

"Yes... I promise I won't say a thing to anyone- not even Saya!"

* * *

><p><strong>(1) The Akiyama crest looks like the Mortal Kombat logo<strong>

**(2) The song is Rue's lullaby by... I don't actually know... But _Adrisaurus_ has a great cover of it on youtube!**


	4. Chapter 4: Mischief made in sand

**A/N: Sorry for the lateness of the chapter, I've been a bit busy! Since I just finished this semester of high school, I've had a lot of projects due and finals (along with two concerts) but now, since they're all done, I should be able to update regularly again ^_^ I hope you all enjoy the upcoming holidays and the chapter! **

* * *

><p><strong><span>Three years later:<span>**

"When is it going to get here, mom?" Kasumi asked, looking at her mothers belly with curious eyes. Her mother had barely told her that she was pregnant a few weeks ago, saying that she was only one month along. She poked Natsumi's belly, laughing softly when the only response that she received was a soft rumble. "Is it going to come sooner than Takashi? Because he took forever!"

Kasumi frowned with disdain as she remembered how long it had taken Takashi, her two year-old brother, to arrive. It had nearly been ten months; her mother said he had arrived later than expected. Even though it did take Takashi forever to arrive (in Kasumi's opinion), she loved him instantly, excited and happy to be an older sister. Takashi had long and spiky hair that was a dark shade of red, like his mother, while his eyes were a startling silver that only Arashi had.

"I'm afraid so, little wing," Natsumi chuckled, shaking her head at the pout that Kasumi sent her. "There's nothing we can do to make it come sooner or later- it will come on its own time."

"Did I take that long?"

"No, you came only at eight months- two months before Takashi," Natsumi patted her daughters head with a smile. "I guess you were just eager to greet the world!"

"Have you two finished packing?" Arashi asked as he walked into the room, holding a sleeping Takashi in his arms. Takashi's dragon, Fayre, trailed behind them, her claws clicking on the floor as she walked. Fayre was a silver, white, and black dragon with long leathery wings and a spiked tail that swayed as she walked. Even though Takashi hadn't been born with a part of Ryuu's soul, he was still able to bond with a dragon and had the same amount of power that their clan were usually born with. "We need to leave as soon as the sun rises tomorrow..."

"I'm almost finished dad!" Kasumi beamed before hurrying over to her desk to find her sketchbook and pencils. She hurried back to her mother and handed her the materials before Natsumi placed it on top of the pack. After packing all that she would need, she hopped on her soft bed and watched as her mother double checked to make sure everything was in there. Looking at Takashi, Kasumi asked, "papa? Where is Takashi going to be staying?"

"Oh he is going to be staying in the Suzuki residence... Maya has kindly offered to watch over him while we go to Sunagakure," Arashi explained softly, doing his best to not wake up his sleeping son. Kasumi smiled at the mention of Maya- glad that it was her old babysitter that was taking care of her brother and not someone else. "Now you need to get to sleep, Kasumi, we leave early tomorrow morning!"

Kasumi did as her father said, letting her parents kiss her goodnight before heading off to put Takashi into bed. She crawled under her covers and hugged her slowly dulling pink bear tightly to her chest, falling asleep almost instantly. As soon as the sun was up, Natsumi woke her daughter and told her to quickly get dressed before hurrying down to make a fast breakfast. Quickly, the brown-eyed girl got dressed in the normal outfit that she wore to school before going over to her puppet.

Pulling him out of his case, she set him down on the floor before putting him in a sealing scroll that her mother had helped her make. Natsumi had allowed for her to carry her puppet around the village but only when it was in a sealing scroll, not wanting her daughter to put the heavy puppet on her back and end up hurting herself. Kasumi slung her katana over her shoulder and placed her scroll into her pocket before walking down to the kitchen with her pack trailing behind her.

"Eat fast, little wing," Arashi said as he tried to get his son to accept the scrambled eggs but he was having little success. Kasumi simply nodded before eating her breakfast, making sure to eat everything before she washed her plate and got ready to go with her father to the Suzuki residence.

"I'll meet you outside dad!" Kasumi said, rushing out the door just as Arashi stood up. Kasumi hurried over to a tiger lily bush to take in the scent of the flowers, knowing she wouldn't be able to for a few days. Her father had said that they would reach Suna on the third day, then on the fourth day her mother and father would have a meeting with the Kazekage and the elders and then they would leave the next day, taking three more days to reach their home.

Kasumi didn't mind, having a feeling it would be a boring trip but she didn't want to be left behind so she had agreed to join her parents. Arashi hadn't told her why they were traveling to Sunagakure but she had a feeling it wasn't just for fun, her father's tone giving away all his emotion. A part of her worried that something bad was going to happen but Ren had reassured her that everything would be fine and that she was worrying over nothing. Shaking her thoughts away from the trip, Kasumi reached over and dipped her fingers in the fountain, watching as little ripples went over the water.

"Onee-chan!" Takashi squeaked as he stumbled toward his big sister, his chubby little legs hurrying over to her. Arashi watched with an amused smile as Takashi imminently hugged Kasumi's leg tightly when he got to her. Kasumi giggled softly before picking her brother up, imminently making faces at him before spinning him in the air, Takashi letting out a squeal of glee.

"I'll carry him," Kasumi said cheerfully as she let the two year-old sit on her shoulders, his small hands fisting into her long teal hair. Arashi nodded his head before the three began to make their way to the Suzuki residence, Kasumi chatting quietly with her father while Takashi giggled every few minuets. Maya was waiting for them as they got to their destination, a bright smile on her face. Maya was a young woman with light brown hair that went to her shoulders at an angle and soft jade green eyes.

"Thank you again for taking care of Takashi while we're gone," Arashi said, as he took Takashi's hands out of Kasumi's hair and handed him to Maya who imminently began to coo at him. "Natsumi and I don't want to take him to the desert, it'll be too hot for him..."

"I don't mind at all! In fact, I've been looking forward to it all week," Maya said as she stopped cooing at Takashi. "I haven't taken care of a child since Kasumi turned six and I've grown to miss it!"

"Be warned, he's quite the handful," Arashi chuckled as he placed a bag full of Takashi's things by Maya's side. "Thanks again! I'll see you in a week," going over to Takashi, he kissed his forehead, "you be good now, you hear?"

Takashi blinked owlishly before going back to playing with Maya's hair. Arashi chuckled before waving goodbye and heading back to the house with Kasumi trailing behind him. As soon as they got home, Arashi went inside to get Natsumi while Kasumi wandered back over to the tiger lilies, plucking one of the blossoms off and holding it close to her nose. She savored the sweet scent, only pulling back once she saw her mother and father heading towards her, both Ren and Duster trailing after them.

"Be careful how long you sniff the flower, little wing," Natsumi warned with a smile. "You know what the myths say about taking in the scent of a tiger lily!"

"No, what?" Kasumi asked, confusion in her eyes and puzzlement in her voice. _'Is it bad to smell a tiger lily?' _Kasumi asked herself silently, feeling a twinge of worry. _'I'm not going to die am I?'_

Natsumi crouched down to her daughters height and smiled, "its said that if you smell a tiger lily blossom for too long, the black dots on the blossom will transfer to your own face and give you freckles!"

"What! No! I already have enough as it is," Kasumi whined, almost dropping the lily but her mother caught before it touched the ground.

"It's just a superstition, Kasumi," Natsumi laughed, gently placing the lily behind Kasumi's ear, making it face the front proudly. "Its not true- it's just something people say to scare others!"

* * *

><p>"I'm dying!" Kasumi groaned, leaning her head on her father's back. The sun was high in the sky and the heat of the desert was pouring in them, sweat trickling down their foreheads. "Remind me to never live in a desert, dad! I would rather live in a forest or in the mountains. Deserts are <em>way <em>too hot!"

"So I assume you're not going to be joining Sunagakue anytime soon," Arashi laughed softly, shifting Kasumi so she was higher on his back. Kasumi simply nodded her head, muttering something under her breath before closing her eyes to take a nap.

"Next time we travel, can we just ride our dragons the whole time?" Kasumi asked after a few moments, the heat keeping her from sleeping. "You know, instead of only riding them halfway? Wouldn't it be faster and easier?"

"Indeed but it wouldn't be healthily for our dragons," Natsumi began to explain, glancing at Duster and Ren who were keeping their wings as close to their body as they walked. "Since both Duster and Ren have feathered wings, they can easily catch different things between the feathers. In Konoha, it isn't that bad since its mostly just leaves and bugs that can easily be shaken out but out here, it's just sand. The sand is hard to get out of the feathered wings and it can easily get stuck between the feathers and weigh them down. If they're weighed down enough, they can lose their ability to stay in the air and they'll crash into the ground. Very unpleasant."

"Oh! I see," Kasumi murmured before glancing up, noticing that they were finally approaching Suna. Her eyes widened with excitement as she look in the village, noticing that almost every building was made out of sand. "This is Suna?"

"Just how I remember it," Natsumi said happily, joy in her russet brown-eyes.

"Mom, you were born in Suna, right?" Kasumi asked, curiosity lightning her eyes.

Natsumi nodded her head with a smile as Arashi let Kasumi down, letting her walk beside him and Natsumi. Kasumi clung to her father's hand as they made their way to the gate and toward the shinobi that were waiting ahead for them.

"That's close enough," one of the shinobi shouted, causing Kasumi to squeak and hide behind her father. "State your name, village, rank, and purpose!"

"I'm Akiyama Arashi, this is my wife Natsumi and my daughter Kasumi," he said calmly, not intimidated by the shinobi in front of them. "Natsumi and I are Konoha Jounin while my daughter is an academy student. We have a meeting with the Kazekage tomorrow afternoon."

"Ah! We've been expecting you," one of the other shinobi said, bowing his head. "You may enter the village, we will alert the Kazekage about you arrival..."

"Thank you," Natsumi smiled before taking her daughter's hand and leading them into the village. Kasumi could feel people staring at her, making her look around uncomfortably and stick as close to her parents as she could. Ren, sensing her mistress's discomfort, jumped on her shoulders and nuzzled her cheek, letting her know that she was there. They got to a hotel within a few minuets and quickly got a room before heading off to rest and get ready for the next day.

As soon as the sun was up in the sky, both Natsumi and Arashi were up, getting ready for their meeting with the Kazekage. They allowed for Kasumi to sleep in since she wouldn't actually be in the meeting, she would be waiting outside while they talked. But as soon as they were finished getting ready, they woke Kasumi up and let her sleepily take a shower and get dressed.

"While the meeting is going on, you're going to be sitting outside the door reading, drawing or doing the homework Iruka-sensei gave you," Arashi told her as he slid the little backpack over her shoulders, making sure that it wouldn't block her from getting out her katana. "Please try your best to keep quiet and only make noise if it's an emergency but other than that, stay as quiet as you can. The meeting will only be a few hours long so you shouldn't be bored or alone for too long..."

Kasumi nodded her head before following her parents out of the hotel and toward the building where the Kazekage usually was. They greeted the shinobi waiting for them politely and let them lead them to the top of the building. As they got to the final door, Kasumi walked over to the side and sat down with Ren by her side while Natsumi, Arashi, and Duster went in with the shinobi following after them.

Pulling off her backpack, Kasumi shifted through it before pulling out the assignments that Iruka had assigned her and began to answer the questions. She slowly did the homework, trying her best not to listen in on the conversation that her parents were having with the Kazekage and the elders. But do to her excellent hearing, she heard every word that was spoken by them.

"If I'm hearing correctly, you're saying that members of your clan are disappearing as they cross Suna?" A deep voice asked, making Kasumi guess that it was either the Kazekage or one of the elders.

"Correct, we were expecting visitors four times within a span of three months and only one of them have made it to Konoha," Arashi stated. "Some of our dragons have tried to track the missing ones in hopes of finding what happened to them but we haven't gotten far. The dragons got as far as the end of Suna before their tracks suddenly disappeared and were replaced with the scent of blood."

"Do you believe that we are the ones killing off your clan?" Another deep voice asked, anger tracing each word.

"Of course we don't believe that," Natsumi said patiently. "The Akiyama has never had any problems with Suna! What we're saying, or rather asking, is if you have seen anything suspicious..."

The conversation continued to go on but Kasumi decided that she had heard enough and that she really shouldn't have eavesdropped. Standing up slowly, she packed her bag and left it by the wall before picking up Ren and heading out of the building. Most of the shinobi either ignored her or weren't paying attention to her as she made her way outside and into the hot village.

"I'm sure mom and dad won't mind if we explore a little," Kasumi said to Ren, sending her a grin before making her through the village. She looked at the tall sand buildings with interest, wondering how it felt to live in a house made of sand.

_"Probably wouldn't be to pleasant,"_ Ren said as she tapped one of the houses with her tail. _"Or at least for me... It probably has perks but none that I can see..."_

_'I think I'll stick to wood,'_ Kasumi thought, sharing a look with Ren. Yawning, Kasumi looked around before picking a random direction and began walking, making sure to not get in the way of the villagers. It was strange for her, to be beside other villagers without having to worry about them attacking her or having to deal with their glares. Instead, they treated her like anyone else, sending her smiles when they caught her eyes while a few were suspicious of her but not rude.

Kasumi hadn't been walking for long when her nose caught scent of something that made her gag and her nose scrunch up with distaste. She smelt blood, sharp and bitter blood and the area ahead of her reeked of it. As soon as Ren caught the scent, her head snapped up and she growled lowly, ignoring her better judgement and expanding her wings in an act to make herself seem bigger.

"What's the matter, Ren?" Kasumi asked, raising her hand to cover up her nose. "Does the smell bother you as well?"

_"It isn't normal,"_ Ren snarled, snapping her tail back and forth._ "We need to leave this area immediately!"_

"O-oh okay, Ren," Kasumi murmured, glancing around once more before heading away from where the scent was coming from. Even as she got farther away, she could still smell the blood and she wondered if her nose had imprinted the scent into her brain. "Do you know what that was, Ren?"

_"No, I don't but it was evil..."_ Ren growled softly. _"No human should have a scent like that! If you come across the scent again, you should get away from it!"_

"Got it," Kasumi nodded before they continued to walk around. They were only walking around for a little while when they came across an empty field that had the scent of sweat and blood around it. "This was be a training field..." She looked around and saw that it looked like it hadn't been used in months, the sand having no recent tracks and even the scent was old. "I don't think any one would mind if I did a little training..."

Ren snorted before jumping off her shoulders, landing on the ground and taking a seat with her tail wrapped around her paws and her wings tucked in. Taking a deep breath, Kasumi murmured _'Ryuu, grant me your knowledge...'_ A flash went across her eyes before she felt as if someone else was in her head, that Ren wasn't the only one with her.

**"I see you're getting the hang of it," **Ryuu's deep voice said in her mind, his voice echoing. **"I admit, I thought it would take longer for you to be able to summon me at will..."**

_'Well Mako helped me out during her last visit,'_ Kasumi admitted with a smile._ 'But you __probably already know that! You are in both of us, after all!'_

**"Is there something you need? As much as I could like to continue this conversation I cannot, I was in the middle of meditations that must be completed..."**

_'See you later then!'_ Kasumi thought cheerfully before taking the sealing scroll out of her pocket and opening it slightly, running her finger down one of the runes before her puppet came out of the scroll and landed on the ground softly. Gently, she folded the scroll back up and placed it back into her pocket before looking down at Jun. Activating her chakra strings, she made her puppet stand up before walking close to her and taking the katana off of her back. Jumping ahead of her, the puppet swung her sword experimentally.

"Good job Jun!" Kasumi grinned as she continued to make Jun do different stances and attacks. It was a little hard for her to make Jun do it instead of actually doing them herself, finding it hard to do a certain move fast and strong enough. Letting her puppet give her back her katana, she made her puppet jump in front of her and stand in front of an old and rotting piece of wood. Tightening a certain chakra string, she activated a certain panel in Jun and opened it, six sharp shurikens flying out and hitting the wood harshly. She did it a few more times before deciding that it was enough and made Jun pick them back up.

"You're such a good puppet," Kasumi praised as she stuck the shurikens back into the panel before closing it and letting her chakra strings fall away. She caught her puppet as it neared the floor before she sealed him back away in the scroll. She was about to stuff the scroll into her pocket when she saw a boy with spiky black hair and dark blue eyes walking toward her with an excited and friendly smile.

"Hiya! I saw you training and it was awesome," the boy exclaimed when he got to Kasumi, a giant grin across his face. Kasumi blushed lightly and shyly pushed a strand of hair behind her ears. "I'm Ryuta by the way!"

"I'm Kasumi... And this is Ren," she nodded toward Ren who was snoozing in the sand, managing to keep her wings in the air. "And thank you..." She glanced down at the scroll in her hand before looking back up at Ryuta, asking, "would you like to see him close up?"

"Yeah! That'll be so cool! I've never seen a puppet up close before," Ryuta paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his round face. "Well I have once but it didn't count because it was Kankuro's and he was threatening to hurt me with it." He noticed Kasumi frown, shock and anger in her eyes and he quickly said, "I kind of deserved it though! I crashed into him and nearly made him drop his water..."

"He sounds like a bully," Kasumi said, her nose scrunching up in disgust. Letting out a sigh, she shook her head before unraveling her scroll and running her finger down the runes and summoning her puppet. Jun landed lightly on the ground before Kasumi activated her chakra strings and picked it up, making the puppet stop and crouch in front of Ryuta.

"It's awesome," Ryuta said excitedly, poking the puppet's cheek and poking the teeth, being mindful to the sharp edges. He picked up on one of Jun's arms and looked at its claws, his eyes wide as he saw the scorpion carving that was slyly hidden between the puppets fingers. "I don't believe it... Your puppet is made by Sasori of The Red Sand!"

"Who's that?" Kasumi asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. The name sounded familiar to her but she couldn't remember where she had heard the name before.

"He's a puppet master, probably the best," Ryuta let go of the arm, letting it fall to its side. "You're so lucky! Only one other person has a puppet made by him and even then, it doesn't look as cool as this!"

"Does Sasori not make puppets anymore?"

"Well... He's kind of an S-ranked criminal so I don't really know," Ryuta shrugged. "He made someone into a human puppet before he left or something. I don't really remember..."

"Have you ever met him?"

"Nope! He left before I was born... I don't really know too much about him, just that he really liked puppets."

"Oh... Are there any candy stores around? I'm craving chocolate," Kasumi murmured, reaching down and scooping up Ren, placing her Jun's arms.

"Yeah! I'll take you to one of the best stores in Suna," Ryuta grinned and began to lead Kasumi away from the training area and into the market place, Jun following beside them. They talked quietly, Kasumi making sure that Jun didn't crash into any one while watching where she was going, noticing that the Kazekage tower was getting farther and farther away. _'Hopefully I can get back before mom and dad notice I'm gone,'_ Kasumi thought, shaking her thought away from her worries and listening to Ryuta.

They had just gotten to the candy store when Ryuta froze, his eyes wide with fright as he stared ahead of him. "What's the matter, Ryuta?" Kasumi asked before looking up at what Ryuta was afraid of.

It was a boy.

A small boy barely taller than Kasumi with short, spiky crimson-colored hair. A light shade of turquoise was his eye color and he had a rim of black around them and heavy bags under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept in months. His eyes were cold- almost murderous as he looked at everyone around him with hatred. A large gourd was on his back and towered over his head, looking like it was made of sand. Kasumi flinched when she caught his scent, realizing it was the same bitter and disgusting scent that she had smelt earlier. Ren had noticed it to for she had jumped to her feet in Jun's arms, letting out a loud growl, her teeth barring.

The crimson-haired boy had heard it too, his gaze snapping to the dragon and narrowing dangerously as he looked at the dragon then to Kasumi with an unwavering glare. As soon as Ryuta saw the boy glare at Kasumi, he grabbed her hand before taking off running in the other direction, startling Kasumi and making her loose her concentration and her puppet fell.

"Ryuta! Stop! I left Jun," Kasumi managed to break free of Ryuta, running back to her puppet and reactivating her chakra strings before running back to Ryuta with Jun behind her, glancing back to look at the boy glaring after her. Once she made it back to Ryuta, she glared, Ren still growling softly in Jun's arms. "What was that about? You made me drop Jun and Ren!"

"I'm sorry! I was just worried! That boy- he's no good," Ryuta explained, talking quickly with his voice trembling.

"What's wrong with him? His scent made my nose burn," Kasumi rubbed her nose, thanking god that the smell was slowly leaving her nose and being replaced by the scent of food.

"He's just not good," Ryuta shook his head. "Can we not talk about it anymore? I... Let's go to a different candy shop..."

Kasumi frowned but nodded her head, not really understanding his fear but knowing not to pry. His face filled with relief and his lips quirked up in a grin before he began to lead her to another candy store.

"This one is pretty well stocked," Ryuta said as he led her into the store, laughing lightly when he saw her face brighten before she dashed off toward the chocolate. She bought herself a few bars of chocolate before buying Ryuta rock candy, laughing softly when his own eyes lit up. They walked out laughing, gaining a few annoyed or amused looks from the passing villagers.

"Thank you! I was really craving chocolate," Kasumi said, as she finished her second chocolate bar. Looking around, she winced when she saw that it was well into the afternoon and that her parents were probably looking for her. "Can you help me get to the Kazekage tower? My parents are probably waiting for me there..."

"Sure!" Ryuta nodded and they began to make their way to the tower. For a little while, Kasumi felt as if someone was watching her but whenever she looked for the source of the stare, she came across no one. Eventually she told herself that she was just imagining it and that no one was watching her. They got halfway there when they came across something lying face-first in the sand.

"What's that?" Kasumi asked, crouching in front of the object and turning it over. Her eyes lit up in interest as she saw it was a small puppet, not even close to Jun's size. "Its... A puppet?"

"I wonder whose it is," Ryuta murmured, picking the puppet and holding it up. "It can't be Kankuro's- He doesn't like small puppets!"

"Should we go looking for the owner?" Kasumi asked, pushing her need to go to the tower and find her parents to the side. Her parents could do without her or a little while longer- they were probably still in the meeting with the Kazekage. "I think Ren can track the person down by their scent..."

"Let's go then!" Ryuta cheerfully, turning to look at Ren who was taking in the scent that covered the puppet. Once she caught the scent, she began to lead them deeper into the village. They passed different tall buildings and the market place, passing the ninja academy and different training areas until they came across the outskirts of the village.

_"The scent ends around here,"_ Ren announced, glancing at Kasumi before jumping back in Jun's arms. Kasumi frowned, looking around at the few people there until her eyes locked on a rather short (tall for them but still short) figure ahead of them, covered in a black cloak.

"There!" Kasumi pointed at him before both Ryuta and her hurried over to the figure, gaining his attention as soon as they began to make their way toward him. Kasumi noted that his eyes stayed on her but she thought nothing of it, guessing that he didn't recognize her. As they got closer, Kasumi began to make out his features. She didn't know why, but he looked familiar to her, as if she had seen him once before. He had scarlet red hair and russet-brown eyes that were almost emotionless but she could tell they widened a bit as they got closer to him.

"Sorry to bother you but is this your puppet?" Kasumi asked, nodding over to Ryuta who held the puppet high. The man said nothing for a few moments before looking to the puppet, remaining silent before he nodded his head slowly. "Well that's solved! We found you puppet in the sand near the Kazekage tower and went to look for its owner!"

"...Thank you," he said softly, taking the puppet from Ryuta and offering them a hollow smile. He looked toward Kasumi for a moment, a strange look in his eyes as he glanced from Jun to her before he began to walk away, leaving both Ryuta and Kasumi with confused looks.

"He was really quiet," Ryuta commented as they made their way back to the tower. They had only walked for a few moments when Kasumi saw her parents heading toward her, wincing as she saw the anger in their eyes.

"I'm so dead," Kasumi groaned, stopping in her tracks while Ryuta chuckled.

"Where have you been?" Natsumi demanded, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at Kasumi. "Do you know how long you've been gone?"

"Um... A few hours?"

"Three! You have been running around doing heaven knows what in a village not our own for _three_ hours!" Natsumi began to rant, loosing Kasumi within a minuet. Arashi sighed at his wife and rubbed his eyes, debating on whether or not to stop his wife from ranting when he had lost her attention almost as soon as she began. "...Now I expect you never to go off on your own in a strange village without telling us!"

"Yes mom!"

"Good!" Natsumi smiled as the angry in her eyes disappeared before she glanced at Ryuta. "Now who's your little friend?"


End file.
